Trump Threatens 50% Tariff on China if It Ships Weapons to Iran

In a Fox News interview on April 13, Trump issued a direct warning to China: 'If we catch them doing that [shipping weapons to Iran], they get a 50% tariff, which is a staggering amount.' Reports indicated Beijing was preparing to ship shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles and other weapons systems to Iranian forces. The threat extended Trump's tariff doctrine into foreign policy enforcement — a tactic previously used against nations that supplied Iran's war effort. A Trump-Xi summit in Beijing remained scheduled for May 14-15, and the US-China trade deal reached in May 2025 remained nominally in effect.