President Donald Trump said he wants Congress to add tariffs on Iran to a sanctions bill focused on Russia and countries backing its war against Ukraine. The proposal would expand a measure that already has bipartisan support and links pressure on Moscow with additional economic steps involving Tehran.
Trump said he would like to see tariffs on Iran included in the legislation, even as trade between Iran and the United States remains extremely limited. That point matters because tariffs generally have the biggest impact when imports are sizable, and the available details suggest any direct trade effect here would be modest.
The discussion puts tariffs alongside sanctions as part of a broader economic pressure campaign. While sanctions typically restrict financial activity, trade, or access to markets, tariffs would add a separate layer aimed at Iranian goods entering the U.S. market.
For now, the issue is whether Congress chooses to fold that tariff idea into the broader Russia sanctions package. The debate highlights how lawmakers and the White House are weighing additional ways to target countries seen as supporting Russia during the war in Ukraine.
