Shafaq News– Washington/ Beijing

On Tuesday, China condemned “any illicit unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction” after US President Donald Trump warned that countries conducting trade with Iran would face a 25% tariff on their exports to the United States.

Trump announced the measure in a social media post late Monday, describing it as “final and conclusive,” without detailing its legal basis or how it would be enforced.

Reacting to the announcement, Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, said Beijing’s opposition to tariffs is “consistent and clear,” adding that his country will take all necessary measures to protect its interests.

“Tariff wars and trade wars have no winners, and coercion and pressure cannot solve problems,” he warned.

US allies South Korea and Japan also addressed the issue, pointing to the lack of clarity surrounding Washington’s move. South Korea’s trade ministry said it “plans to take any necessary measures once the specific actions of the US government become clear.” In Japan, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Masanao Ozaki told reporters that Tokyo would “carefully examine the specific content of any measures as they become clear, as well as their potential impact on Japan,” before deciding on an appropriate response.

Under US trade rules, tariffs are paid by American importers on goods entering the United States. Iran, a member of OPEC, has been under extensive US sanctions for years and exports most of its crude oil to China. Turkiye, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, and India are also among its major trading partners.

The tariff warning comes amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran following nationwide unrest in Iran that began on December 28, after the rial fell to a record low of about 1.45 million per US dollar, triggering sharp increases in food prices and inflation. Iranian authorities rejected descriptions of the unrest as protests, characterizing it as a “terrorist war against Iran” and accusing the United States and Israel of attempting to destabilize the country. Washington, meanwhile, warned Tehran against the use of lethal force against demonstrators, stressing that any killings would carry serious consequences—comments Iran described as interference in its internal affairs.

Read more: Iran’s protests between economic crisis and political contestation