Trump said today (January 13): "Effective immediately: any country that has commercial relations with Iran must pay a 25% tariff on any commercial activities with the United States. This order is final and not open to objection. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"
Comment: Trump's use of the 25% tariff as a threat is another replication of his "tariff omnipotence" theory during his administration, and it takes the bullying logic of "secondary tariffs" to the extreme. Previously, he used tariffs against individual countries, but now he has gone as far as "trade complicity" — punishing any country that does business with Iran by taxing its trade with the US. Fundamentally, it is using the US market as a bargaining chip to force the world to pay for America's hegemony.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1854156394079299/
Statement: The article represents the personal views of the author.