Death toll in Iran protests reaches 2,000 as the US threatens trade tariffs
A government source in Iran said that about 2,000 people have died in protests and blamed “terrorists” for the deaths.
A senior Iranian official told Reuters on Tuesday that attacks by “terrorists” have killed about 2,000 people in ongoing protests across Iran. The deaths have included both bystanders and security staff.
People all over the country have been protesting against the government for a few weeks now. The protests have been met with deadly police crackdowns. The growing number of deaths shows how bad the unrest and violence are getting in many places.
Because of the crackdown, US President Donald Trump said that countries doing business with Iran could have their trade with the US taxed at 25%. Washington is trying to put economic pressure on Tehran after the deadly unrest, and this move is part of that.
Trump said in a post on Truth Social, “No matter what, any country doing business with the Islamic Republic of Iran will have to pay a 25% tariff on all business with the United States of America.”
People in the US who buy things from countries that have tariffs pay them. As a member of OPEC, Iran produces oil. For years, the US has put strict sanctions on Iran, and most of its oil is sent to China. It also trades a lot with Turkey, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, and India.
Trump also said, “This Order is final and conclusive,” but he didn’t say anything else.
On the White House website, there was no official information about the policy, its legal basis, or whether the tariffs would apply to all of Iran’s trade partners. When asked for a statement, the White House did not give one.
