TRUMP ORDERS 25 PER CENT TARIFF ON COUNTRIES DOING BUSINESS WITH IRAN

WASHINGTON, Jan 13 (Bernama-Anadolu) -- President Donald Trump on Monday has declared that the US will impose a 25 per cent tariff on "any and all" countries doing business with Iran, according to Anadolu Ajansi. 

"Effective immediately, any country doing business with the Islamic Republic of Iran will pay a tariff of 25 per cent on any and all business being done with the United States of America," Trump said in a post on his social media company Truth Social. "This Order is final and conclusive."

Additional details on the import duties were not immediately available.

While Trump has repeatedly threatened to attack Iran if authorities there use lethal force to suppress protests that have spread nationwide, his latest post came just hours after the White House said he "has an interest" in exploring diplomacy with Tehran.

Anadolu reported Spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said Trump was "unafraid" to follow through on his threats to use military force on Iranian targets if demonstrators are attacked by security forces, but said his preference was to pursue diplomacy with Tehran.

Earlier in the day, protests were held in several areas across Iran to show support for the government as anti-government demonstrations entered their 16th day over worsening economic conditions in the country.

In Tehran, crowds gathered at Enghelab Square, a busy central thoroughfare near the University of Tehran, waving the Iranian flag and “condemning recent violence” in public places, according to an Anadolu reporter.

Protesters called on the government to address economic grievances while rejecting what they described as “foreign interference” in Iran’s domestic affairs. Rallies were also reported in other cities, including Kerman, Zahedan, and Birjand in eastern Iran.

-- BERNAMA-ANADOLU