Trump threatens Putin with oil tariffs and Iran with bombing

(Patria) - US President Donald Trump said he would impose secondary tariffs of 25 to 50 percent on all Russian oil if he feels Moscow is hindering his efforts to end the war in Ukraine, and they could take effect within a month if there is no ceasefire.

Trump told NBC News he was “very angry” and “furious” when Russian President Vladimir Putin called for the removal of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the establishment of a transitional government with the support of the United Nations, NBC reports.

“A new government means there won't be a deal for a long time, right?” he said. “If we are in the middle of negotiations, then I can say that I was very angry, furious, when Putin yesterday began to question Zelensky's credibility… because that simply does not lead in a good direction, you understand?” Trump said.

Trump told NBC News by phone that he plans to speak with Putin this week. During his 2024 presidential campaign, Trump repeatedly promised to end what he calls the “ridiculous” war in Ukraine, and he has been heavily focused on the issue since taking office on January 20. Trump himself has demanded new elections in Ukraine and at one point called Zelensky a dictator.

Putin on Friday suggested that Ukraine should be placed under some kind of temporary administration to allow for new elections and the signing of key agreements.

“If Russia and I cannot reach an agreement to stop the bloodshed in Ukraine, and if I consider it to be Russia's fault, I will impose secondary tariffs on oil, on all oil coming from Russia,” Trump said.

“That would mean that if you buy oil from Russia, you cannot do business in the United States,” Trump added.

“There will be a 25 percent tariff on all oil, a tariff of 25 to 50 percentage points on all oil,” he stressed.

He said the tariffs on Russian oil would take effect within a month without a ceasefire agreement. Trump said Putin knows he is angry with him, but stressed that he has a “very good relationship with him” and that “the anger will quickly subside if he does the right thing.”

Former President Joe Biden banned imports of Russian oil shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine. Since then, the amount of Russian oil imported into the United States has plummeted – according to data from the US Energy Information Administration, only 10,000 barrels of Russian crude oil and petroleum products were imported in 2023.

The European Union imposed an embargo on seaborne imports of Russian oil after Putin's invasion of Ukraine, but some member states, including Hungary and Slovakia, still obtain it via pipeline.

At the same time, other NATO ally countries, such as Turkey, as well as China and India, have significantly increased imports of Russian crude oil. That oil is used in third countries to produce gasoline, diesel and kerosene, which are then sold around the world – including in the United States and Europe.

Trump's statement contradicts recent indications of a possible thaw in relations between Russia and the US, after the White House signaled a willingness to ease sanctions on Moscow in exchange for a ceasefire on the Black Sea. European countries reacted sharply to the very idea of returning to purchasing Russian fossil fuels without a real, lasting peace – and justice for Ukraine.

Earlier this week, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio downplayed the prospects for high-level negotiations to end the war, saying “there is still a lot of work to be done” and adding: “First, more concrete progress needs to be made at the technical level.”

In the interview, Trump threatened Iran with bombing and secondary tariffs if Tehran does not reach a deal with Washington regarding its nuclear program. He said that US and Iranian officials have spoken, but did not reveal further details about the conversation.

“If they don't make a deal, there will be bombing. And there is also a chance that if they don't make a deal, I will impose secondary tariffs, as I did four years ago,” Trump said.

In his first term from 2017 to 2021, Trump withdrew the US from the 2015 agreement between Iran and world powers, which imposed strict limits on Tehran's disputed nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief.

Tehran has so far ignored Trump's warning about the need to reach a deal or face military consequences.

Iran, through Oman, sent a response to Trump's letter calling on Tehran to conclude a new nuclear agreement, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told the Irna news agency on Thursday. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian again rejected direct negotiations on his country's nuclear program with the administration of US President Donald Trump.

“We responded to the US president's letter through Oman and rejected the possibility of direct negotiations, but we are open to indirect negotiations,” Pezeshkian said at a cabinet meeting in Tehran on Sunday.

Iran is not opposed to negotiations, he said, but the United States must first change and correct its “bad behavior” from the past and simultaneously create new foundations for building trust, the ISNA news agency reported Pezeshkian's statement.

Western powers accuse Iran of having a secret plan to develop nuclear weapons, under which it enriches uranium to a high level of fissile purity beyond what is justified for a civilian atomic energy program, but Tehran claims its nuclear program is entirely for civilian energy needs.