Trump threatens sweeping economic consequences for countries aiding Iran

WASHINGTON/DUBAI: US President Donald Trump has warned that any country offering Iran “any type of lifeline” would face economic consequences, as Washington works to bring an end to a war it launched alongside Israel nearly six months ago.

The conflict has killed thousands and pulled in countries across the Gulf, while rattling global markets as Iran demonstrated its capacity to disrupt shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a passage that carried roughly a fifth of the world’s traded oil before February.

Washington and Tehran have twice reached ceasefire deals, in April and June, aimed at restoring normal shipping traffic through Hormuz as a step toward ending the war. Both collapsed quickly, even as Israel has largely stepped back from active fighting.

In a Truth Social post on Wednesday evening, Trump vowed “Economic Warfare and Isolation on an unprecedented scale,” though he offered few specifics, not naming any particular country or outlining what measures the US might take. Iran has faced near-continuous sanctions for close to five decades, dating back to the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

The warning comes as China continues to purchase more than 80% of Iran’s exported oil, according to data from Kpler, while the UAE has already moved to suspend all trade, commercial exchanges and financial transactions with Iran.

“ANY country that allows its financial institutions, businesses, airports, or government entities to provide any type of lifeline to Iran will itself face TREMENDOUS Economic Consequences,” Trump wrote.

Trump’s social media threats and announcements do not always get fleshed out or successfully acted upon as written, and he did not specify what specific steps the U.S. would take against such a country, which would appear to include U.S. allies that have helped mediate peace talks, and he did not list any country by name.

On Tuesday, the United Arab Emirates, which hosts a major U.S. military base, announced it was suspending all trade activities, commercial exchanges and financial transactions with Iran until further notice. The announcement came after the UAE defense ministry said it had detected two missiles launched from Iran that fell into the sea, a report Iran dismissed as baseless.

China buys more than 80% of Iran’s shipped oil, according to 2025 data from analytics firm Kpler, but for the U.S. to engage in further economic warfare with China, a major exporter to the U.S. including of vital rare-earth minerals, risks retaliation.

Iran remains open to dialogue with the U.S. but does not confuse negotiations with surrender, Mohammad Mokhber, an adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, said on Tuesday, according to the semi-official Fars news agency. Mokhber said military pressure and sanctions would not break Iran’s resolve.

On Tuesday, Trump said no talks were taking place with Iran. A day earlier, Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and special envoy, struck an upbeat tone, saying talks with Iran were still underway and were “probably more robust” than ever.

Trump wants to seize Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium and is seeking a new, more restrictive agreement curbing Iran’s nuclear energy and research programs, to replace the one he unilaterally withdrew the U.S. from in 2018. Iran, a non-proliferation treaty signatory, has for decades said its nuclear programs are peaceful.