"With immediate effect, any Country that entertains business relations with the Islamic Republic ofIran will pay a 25% fee on all commercial transactions carried out with the United States of America. This order is final and binding.” In a post on Truth Social, the president Donald Trump announced a new one economic crackdown against Tehran, while protests continue in the country, forcefully repressed by the authorities.
The measure does not only affect Iran, but extends cascading down to dozens of countries that maintain trade relations with the Islamic Republic, from Asia to Europe, primarily Russia and China. According to the U.S. press, the immediate impact risks increasing prices for American consumers on goods imported from key partners such as China, India, Russia, Turkey, and Iraq. Several European countries, including Italy, also remain exposed due to their economic ties with Tehran.
Beijing rejects the US move: "We will defend our interests."
La China's reaction It arrived immediately. Beijing has condemned the decision of Washington calling it afurther escalation of global economic tensions.
The spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs set the line Mao Ning, who in his usual press conference reiterated China's "firm opposition" to tariff wars. Beijing, he assured, "will resolutely safeguard its legitimate rights and interests“, recalling that, according to the Chinese position, “there are no winners in tariff wars”.
The Pentagon prepares options
Behind the commercial move, the The White House continues to move on multiple levels. The New York Times reports that Trump is also considering diplomatic channels with Iran, without however excluding the use of force to stop internal repression. In this context, the Pentagon presented the President with a range of options broader than what has emerged so far.
Among the scenarios on the table are interventions against the Iranian nuclear program, which would go beyond the air raids already conducted in June, and actions against ballistic missile launch sites. However, according to sources cited by the newspaper, the hypotheses considered most probable Targeted operations remain, such as a cyberattack or an action against the internal security apparatus accused of using lethal force against protesters. Any decision, it is noted, would be taken several days later and would carry the risk of a harsh retaliation from Tehran.
"Leave Iran now": A warning for American citizens.
Meantime Washington has raised the alert level for its citizensThe Department of State and the virtual U.S. Embassy in Tehran have an urgent notice has been issued urging Americans in the country to leave immediately, citing intensifying protests, widespread violence, and an internet shutdown.
US authorities warn of ongoing communications disruptions and the real risk of interrogation and detention, especially for dual citizens, which Iran does not recognize. In the absence of an American diplomatic representation on the ground, assistance is limited to the emergency services provided by the Swiss Embassy.
A country isolated and in flames
On the ground, the the situation remains confusing and fragmentedThe anti-regime demonstrations, initially triggered by the high cost of living, have been going on for weeks and have been bloodily repressed. According to the Human Rights Activists News Agency, over 10.700 people were arrested in two weeks of protests. The Iranian government claims to have restored order, but the information blackout makes it impossible an independent verification.
The Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi justified the internet shutdown by talking about “terrorist operations led from abroad”, while human rights organizations accuse the regime of wanting to hide a repression that would have caused hundreds, if not thousands, of deaths. News leaks fuel dramatic headlines in international media: the CNN he spoke of “more corpses than bags to put them in”, while Fox News describes Iran as “a kingdom of terror.”
Meanwhile, contradictory signals are coming from Tehran: sources close to power say ready "for war or dialogue" with WashingtonIran now appears increasingly trapped in a spiral that threatens to overwhelm both the country's stability and regional and global balances.
