Trump signs tariff threat against Iran’s trade partners shortly after high-stakes talks in Oman

US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order threatening additional tariffs on countries that continue to trade with Iran, shortly after Iranian and American representatives held indirect talks in Muscat on Tehran’s nuclear energy program and sanctions relief.

The order, signed on Friday, stated that the United States could impose tariffs on goods imported from any country that “directly or indirectly purchases, imports, or otherwise acquires any goods or services from Iran.” While the order does not specify a fixed rate, it uses 25 percent as an example.

Trump has not directly commented on the order itself. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, he reiterated his stance on Iran, saying there should be “no nuclear weapons.”

There was no immediate reaction from Iranian officials, who have unexceptionally rejected Washington’s and its allies’ accusations against the Islamic Republic of pursuing non-conventional arms, citing a religious decree banning such weapons that has been issued by Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.

The White House said the order reaffirmed what it described as an “ongoing national emergency with respect to Iran,” adding that the president might amend the measure if circumstances changed.

Rehashing another accusation targeting the Islamic Republic, it said the president “is holding Iran accountable for support for terrorism.” Tehran has likewise routinely spurned the latter claim, citing its invariable championship of anti-terror causes throughout the West Asia region.

The White House also said Trump continued to fault Iran’s ballistic missile activities amid Washington’s ongoing push to try to have the Islamic Republic negotiate the defensive program, which Tehran has specified as a red line.

The US president had previously raised the prospect of tariffs on Iran’s trade partners earlier this year.

Talks held in Muscat ahead of order

The signing of the order followed fresh indirect talks between Iranian and US delegations in Muscat, Oman, focused on the Islamic Republic’s peaceful nuclear energy program and the lifting of American sanctions.

According to the Omani foreign ministry, the discussions centered on creating suitable conditions for resumption of diplomatic and technical negotiations.

Trump’s most recent order came, although, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who was leading the Iranian negotiation team, asserted shortly after the talks that whatever dialogue between the two sides necessitated abandonment of menacing rhetoric and behavior.

The Islamic Republic has, meanwhile, underlined that it would vigilantly retain its defensive readiness and endeavor towards further defensive advancement, citing the drawn-out history of the United States’ betrayal of its commitments and obligations concerning the country.

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