WASHINGTON — President Trump announced a trade embargo against Iran Monday as members of Congress implored him to take immediate action to stop the killing of anti-government protesters.
“Effective immediately, any Country doing business with the Islamic Republic of Iran will pay a Tariff of 25% on any and all business being done with the United States of America,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“This Order is final and conclusive. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
The trade action comes at a critical decision-making point for Trump as he weighs military force and diplomacy. Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and key National Security Council officials huddled on Friday to prepare a “suite of options” — including military strikes — to present to Trump in the coming days, according to a source familiar with the talks.
“One thing President Trump is very good at is always keeping all of his options on the table and airstrikes would be one of the many, many options on the table for the commander in chief,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday.
Iran, the anti-American theocracy, already is heavily sanctioned by the US government, but the tariffs threaten much more economic pain after the local current’s collapse sparked the ongoing unrest.
Iran’s top trading partner is China, according to the World Bank, accounting for more than a quarter of its imports and exports.
Other major trading partners include Iraq, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and India.
It was not immediately clear how strictly Trump would enforce the policy.
His move to penalize countries that import Russian oil — in an effort to end Moscow’s Ukraine invasion — has been inconsistently applied.
At least 544 people have been killed in Iran during the anti-government protests, according to the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, of whom 496 were protesters and 48 were security personnel.
‘Diplomacy is always the first option’
Trump, meanwhile, is “exploring” Tehran’s diplomatic outreach to special envoy Steve Witkoff before deciding whether to bomb Iran, Leavitt said.
Trump has threatened repeatedly to intervene to protect protesters. He told reporters Sunday that “Iran called to negotiate yesterday” and “a meeting is being set up, but we may have to act because of what’s happening before the meeting.”
Leavitt revealed that Witkoff was the recipient of the message and that it was “quite different” from defiant public remarks from the Islamic republic.
“There was an official from the Iranian government… that reached out to a member of the president’s very close team, special envoy Witkoff, expressing a far different tone than what you’re seeing publicly,” she said.
In public, Iranian officials have been defiant, with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi saying “we are completely prepared” for war and the country’s parliament speaker, Baqer Qalibaf, threatening to “discipline” Trump.
“Diplomacy is always the first option for the president… What you’re hearing publicly from the Iranian regime is quite different from the messages the administration is receiving privately. I think the president has an interest in exploring those messages,” Leavitt said.
Leavitt added that Trump “has shown he’s unafraid to use military options if and when he deems necessary and nobody knows that better than Iran,” referring to the June 22 US bombing of Iranian nuclear sites.
“He certainly doesn’t want to see people being killed in the streets of Tehran. And unfortunately that’s something we are seeing right now.” Leavitt said.
Bipartisan calls for strikes
Trump’s threat of military action to protect protesters garnered increasing congressional support Monday — as an internet blackout made it difficult to gauge current goings-on on the streets of Iran.
“The reports coming out of Iran are horrific and absolutely unacceptable,” Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) told The Post. “Yet many people don’t seem to care unless it involves Israel.
“I urge the Trump Administration to take immediate action to stop the killing of innocent civilians who are demanding freedom and liberty.”
Trump “has made clear that America stands with the Iranian people and I trust him and Secretary Rubio to take the proper actions to support freedom,” Rep. Randy Fine (R-Fla.) told The Post.
“After last year’s decisive strike and our recent actions in Venezuela, the Ayatollah should have learned Donald J. Trump doesn’t play games. Together, we will Make Persia Great Again.”
While the president has skeptics such as Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) urging him to show restraint against Iran, support for action seems louder than it was with Venezuela.
“If it continues to make more sense, absolutely,” Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) told CNN Monday when asked about Trump intervening in Iran. “Iran is one of the world’s top terrorist underwriters. You now have that poisonous regime in a spiral, so why wouldn’t we want to support that and those brave protesters?”
Perhaps the loudest proponent of intervention in Iran has been Trump’s ally, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who has stressed that the US has a massive opportunity to reshape the Middle East and support the Iranian people who have been repressed for decades.
“It is not enough to say we stand with the people of Iran,” Graham declared on X. “The only right answer here is that we act decisively to protect protestors in the street—and that we’re not Obama—proving to them we will not tolerate their slaughter without action.”
“President Trump has been the first president to openly side with the people against the regime. That will be seen in history as the ultimate game changer,” Graham continued. “This is the best chance since 1979 to change the course of the Middle East.”
“It is about acting decisively on their behalf.”
