The American president, donald trumpannounced this Friday the imposition of an additional tariff – as a percentage of the value of the imported good – for products from countries that maintain commercial links with Iranalleging that “the actions and policies of the Iranian Government continue to represent an unusual and extraordinary threat (…) to the national security, foreign policy and economy of USA“.
‘It is necessary and appropriate to impose a tariff’ad valorem‘in addition to imports of items that are products of foreign countries that buy, import or acquire directly or indirectly any good or service from Iran,” he explained in a statement released by the White House in which he defended that “the tariff regime (…) will more effectively address the national emergency” declared in Executive Order 12957 of March 15, 1995 in relation to Tehran.
The Secretary of Commerce will be the person in charge of determining whether a third State has “purchased, imported or acquired, directly or indirectly, goods or services from Iran” and, when he considers it so, he must notify the Secretary of State “including any relevant information.”
At this point, he himself Secretary of Commerce “may issue the necessary or appropriate rules, regulations and guidelines” for the implementation and execution of this guideline.
Subsequently, it must develop its conclusions in a report that it will send to the Secretary of State so that he can decide – after pertinent consultations with other departments – “if, and to what extent, a tariff should be imposed ad valorem additional to goods that are products of the foreign country” in question that is determined to directly or indirectly purchase, import or acquire goods or services from Iran.
“The Secretary of State may issue rules, regulations, and guidelines necessary or appropriate for the implementation of this order. He may also take any other determination or action necessary or appropriate for the implementation of this order,” the new presidential order continues.
Regardless of all of the above, Trump reserves the right to modify the provisions of the order “in light of additional information, recommendations from senior officials or changes in circumstances”, as well as the actions taken pursuant to it, in order to “ensure (its) effectiveness” in addressing the “national emergency” described.
The White House announced this executive order on the same day that the United States and Iran concluded their indirect talks on the iranian nuclear program in the capital of Oman, Muscat, and have reached an agreement in principle to maintain further future contacts.
These first conversationsas reported by the mediating country, Oman, have focused for now on “creating the appropriate conditions for the restart of diplomatic and technical negotiations.”
The Iranian side has pointed to an “almost complete” agreement to continue contacts and has described the “good atmosphere” and “good start” of the round of negotiations. For its part, the American delegation, led by the special envoy, Steve Witkoffhas not yet commented on the initiative in Muscat.
