By David Lawder and Susan Heavey
WASHINGTON, April 8 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that imports from countries supplying military weapons to Iran will be hit with a 50% tariff effective immediately, with no exceptions. This announcement came just hours after he agreed to a two-week ceasefire with Tehran.
In his post on Truth Social, Trump did not clarify which legal authority he would use to impose these tariffs. Earlier this year, the Supreme Court ruled against his use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to introduce wide-ranging tariffs, resulting in a lower court ordering refunds of approximately $166 billion that had been collected over the past year.
The IEEPA, originally enacted in 1977, has been employed for many years to support economic sanctions against countries like Iran, Russia, and North Korea. However, the court determined that Trump overstepped his authority by using it to levy trade tariffs.
Trump wrote, “A country supplying military weapons to Iran will be immediately tariffed on any and all goods sold to the United States at 50%, effective immediately. There will be no exclusions or exemptions!”
He did not specify which countries would be affected. China and Russia have assisted Iran in developing military capabilities to counter pressure from the U.S. and Israel, providing missiles, air defense systems, and related technology.
However, their support seemed limited amid the recent U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran. Both countries have denied supplying any weapons recently, despite ongoing allegations regarding Russia.
Reuters reported in February that Iran was looking into purchasing supersonic anti-ship cruise missiles from China before the first U.S. and Israeli attacks. Additionally, in March, it was reported that China's leading semiconductor maker, SMIC, had sent chipmaking tools to Iran's military, according to senior officials from the Trump administration.
ALTERNATIVE TARIFF TOOLS
Trump has the option to use "Section 301" tariffs on Chinese goods from his first term, which could allow him to impose additional duties related to issues like excess industrial capacity and China's adherence to a 2020 trade agreement. However, implementing these would require a public notice period before they could take effect.
He can also consider invoking Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, which permits sector-specific tariffs for national security reasons. This approach would necessitate a lengthy investigation and public comment period.
Any new tariffs on Chinese imports would escalate tensions with Beijing, especially as Trump prepares for a planned trip to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping to solidify a fragile trade agreement between the two largest economies.
On Tuesday, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer stated that Trump aims to keep stability in the U.S.-China relationship to ensure U.S. access to Chinese-produced rare-earth minerals and magnets while maintaining existing tariffs.
“We are not looking for massive confrontation or anything like that” with China, Greer shared about the upcoming meeting between Trump and Xi.
Russia has also provided arms technology to Iran, but U.S. imports of Russian goods have drastically decreased since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent financial sanctions on Moscow.
Imports from Russia, one of the few countries not previously subject to Trump’s canceled "reciprocal" tariffs, surged 26.1% to $3.8 billion in 2025, mainly due to palladium used in automotive catalytic converters, fertilizers, and enriched uranium for nuclear reactors. The Commerce Department is already working to impose tariffs on Russian palladium following an anti-dumping investigation.
(Reporting by Susan Heavey and David Lawder in Washington; Editing by Sharon Singleton and Matthew Lewis)