The negotiations between the United States and Iran in the Pakistani capital Islamabad have collapsed, leading to an escalation of tensions between the two countries. President Trump issued strong words towards Iran on Sunday, warning against any country that supports Iran and ships military equipment to them, with the threat of a 50% tariff being imposed. He also reiterated a warning to China, indicating that if they are caught supplying weapons to Iran, Chinese goods entering the U.S. will face an additional 50% tariff.
During an interview on Fox News program “Sunday Morning Futures,” President Trump responded affirmatively to a question about whether China was included in the countries that would face the increased tariff. He mentioned, “Yes, including other countries, but yes, China as well.”
The President stated that he had heard reports in the media alleging that China provided “shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missile systems” to Iran, expressing suspicion about such actions. He emphasized the significant consequence of a 50% tariff that would be imposed if evidence of such activities were found.
Prior to this, on April 11th, as Trump left the White House for Florida, he explicitly warned China not to supply weapons to Iran, cautioning that Beijing “will get into big trouble” should they engage in such activities. However, he did not divulge the specific repercussions China might face at that time.
CNN had previously reported, citing informed sources, that U.S. intelligence indicated China was preparing to deliver a new type of anti-air defense system to Iran within the coming weeks. This intelligence underscored Iran’s potential effort to seek assistance from foreign partners to replenish certain weapon systems during the U.S.-Iran ceasefire agreement.
Three sources informed CNN that Beijing planned to utilize a third country as a transit point to conceal the true source of these military supplies, specifically “shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missile systems” (MANPADS).
Trump has maintained a policy of maximum pressure on Iran since his first term, aimed at severing the Iranian regime’s economic resources. Meanwhile, China has been providing economic support to Iran by purchasing oil from the country. In the Fox News interview on Sunday, when asked about the impact of the maximum pressure policy on China, Trump suggested that China could purchase oil from the U.S. or Venezuela instead.
“In the case of China, they could send their ships here or they could send ships to Venezuela… We have an excess capacity and we may even sell oil at a lower price,” Trump pointed out.
Following Trump’s second term in office last year, U.S.-China relations hit a low point due to trade tensions. After several rounds of negotiations, the two sides eventually reached a truce agreement. However, if China is found to be supplying arms to Iran and faces an extra 50% tariff, it could potentially disrupt the U.S.-China trade truce agreement, resulting in further instability in relations between the two countries.