US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose 50% tariffs on imports from countries supplying Iran with military weapons, warning China and Russia against restocking Tehran's military inventories.
The move comes just hours after Trump agreed to a two-week ceasefire with Iran, following over five weeks of air strikes against Iran's missile launchers, military installations, and weapons industry.
Trump's threat is aimed at countries like China and Russia, which have helped Iran build military capacity to counter US and Israeli pressure, supplying missiles, air-defense systems, and dual-use technologies.
However, the US Supreme Court has stripped Trump of his broadest tariff authority, the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, in February, ruling that his global tariffs imposed under the 1977 law were illegal.
Trump's new tariff threat is unlikely to be implemented in the near term, as it could derail his planned trip to Beijing to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
