Iran latest: Trump orders 25% tariff on any country doing business with Tehran
What have Washington and Tehran said about ongoing contacts?We heard on Monday that Iran and the US had opened a line of communication, specifically between Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi and Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff. Araghchi said Tehran was studying ideas proposed by Washington, but that these were "incompatible" with US threats to carry out military action in Iran in response to its repression of the protests. "Communications between Witkoff and me continued before and after the protests and are still ongoing," he told Al Jazeera.Sources told Axios that Witkoff and Araghchi held talks in an effort by Ira to deescalate with the US - or at least buy time before Trump orders any military action. Alex Croft13 January 2026 07:21Iranians able to make some calls abroad while internet access is still out after protestsMobile phones in Iran were able to call abroad on Tuesday after a crackdown on nationwide protests in which the internet and international calls were cut.Several people in Tehran were able to call the Associated Press. The AP bureau in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, was unable to call those numbers back.Witnesses said the internet remained cut off from the outside world.Iran cut off the internet and calls on Thursday as protests intensified. Namita Singh13 January 2026 07:00In pictures: People rally around the world in support of protests in IranProtest outside the Iranian embassy in support of nationwide protests in Iran, in London (Reuters)Anti-Iranian regime protesters burn an image of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, while holding aloft a placard featuring an image of Iranian opposition figure and son of the last Shah of Iran, Reza Pahlav (AFP via Getty Images)People hold placards and wave flags during a pro-government demonstration on 12 January 2026 in Tehran, Iran (Getty Images)Namita Singh13 January 2026 06:45China opposes Trump's tariff threat against nations doing business with IranChina said late on Monday that it opposed "any illicit unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction" after US president Donald Trump posted on social media that nations doing business with Iran will face a 25 per cent tariff on US trade."China's position against the indiscriminate imposition of tariffs is consistent and clear. Tariff wars and trade wars have no winners, and coercion and pressure cannot solve problems," a spokesperson of the Chinese embassy in Washington said on X."China firmly opposes any illicit unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction, and will take all necessary measures to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests." Namita Singh13 January 2026 06:30Iran claims fighting a war on four frontsAddressing a large crowd in Tehran's Enqelab Square on Monday, parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said Iranians were fighting a war on four fronts – "economic war, psychological warfare, military war against the US and Israel, and today a war against terrorism."Declaring the situation "under total control", foreign minister Abbas Araqchi said on Monday that 53 mosques and 180 ambulances had been set on fire since the protests erupted.Protest over the collapse of the currency's value, in Tehran (Reuters)Despite the massive scale of the protests, there are no signs of splits in the Shi'ite clerical leadership, military or security forces, and demonstrators have no clear central leadership. The opposition is fragmented.Iran's Ministry of Intelligence said on Monday it had detained "terrorist" teams responsible for acts including killing paramilitary volunteers loyal to the clerical establishment, torching mosques and attacking military sites, according to a statement carried by state media. Namita Singh13 January 2026 06:15Diplomacy is always the first option, says White HouseWhile airstrikes were one of many alternatives open to Trump, "diplomacy is always the first option for the president," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Monday."What you're hearing publicly from the Iranian regime is quite different from the messages the administration is receiving privately, and I think the president has an interest in exploring those messages," she said.A member of the Iranian police attends a pro-government rally in Tehran, Iran, 12 January 2026 (Reuters)Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araqchi said Tehran was studying ideas proposed by Washington, though these were "incompatible" with US threats."Communications between (US special envoy Steve) Witkoff and me continued before and after the protests and are still ongoing," he told Al Jazeera. Namita Singh13 January 2026 06:00Which countries are impacted by Trump’s new tariff?Donald Trump late on Monday announced that any country doing business with Iran, a major oil producer, will face a new tariff of 25 per cent on its exports to the US."This Order is final and conclusive," Trump said in a social media post, without providing further detail about the legal authority he would use to impose the tariffs, or whether they would be aimed at all of Iran's trading partners. The White House did not respond to a request for comment.Iran's mission to the United Nations in New York declined to comment on Trump's tariff announcement. Fires are lit as protesters rally on 8 January 2026 in Tehran, Iran (Getty Images)Iran, already under heavy US sanctions, exports much of its oil to China, with Turkey, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates and India among its other top trading partners.India already faces 50 per cent tariffs from the US, including 25 per cent over its purchases of oil from Russia.The Chinese embassy in Washington criticised Trump's approach, saying China will take "all necessary measures" to safeguard its interests and opposed "any illicit unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction".Trump has warned Iran's leaders that the United States would attack if security forces open fire on protesters. Namita Singh13 January 2026 05:45A Turkish official cautions against foreign intervention in IranA senior Turkish official voiced opposition to foreign interventions in Iran, warning that such actions could worsen the country's crisis.Omer Celik, spokesperson for president Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling party, acknowledged on Monday that Iran faces internal challenges but stressed they must be resolved through "its own dynamics and the will of the state”.People gather during protest on 8 January 2026 in Tehran, Iran (Getty Images)"We would never wish for any chaos to emerge in our neighbor Iran," Celik said, adding that outside interference would only produce "worse outcomes."He cautioned that regional instability could escalate further if external involvement is driven by what he described as "Israeli provocations”. Namita Singh13 January 2026 05:30Russian official alleges foreign interferenceThe executive secretary of Russia's Security Council has condemned what he described as foreign interference in Iran's internal affairs.The council said in a statement carried by Russian news agencies that Sergei Shoigu spoke by phone on Monday with his counterpart Ali Larijani, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran.The statement said Shoigu also offered his condolences over the numerous casualties, without elaboration.Iran has alleged foreign influence in the protests. Namita Singh13 January 2026 05:15European Parliament bans Iranian diplomats from its premisesThe president of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, announced a ban on Iranian diplomats from its premises on Monday."This House will not aid in legitimising this regime that has sustained itself through torture, repression and murder," Metsola wrote on X. She also praised protesters who "continue to stand up for their rights and their liberty”. Namita Singh13 January 2026 05:00
