Trump threatens tariffs on countries supplying weapons to Iran after two-week ceasefire agreed

08 Apr 2026, 11:59 by AFP, https://www.thejournal.ie/author/afp/ · TheJournal.ie

LAST UPDATE | 5 hrs ago

US PRESIDENT DONALD Trump has threatened to levy 50% tariffs on any country “supplying military weapons to Iran”, in a post on Truth Social.

“There will be no exclusions or exemptions!” he said.

The president also said the US will “work closely with Iran, which we have determined has gone through what will be a very productive Regime Change” and they will be “talking Tariff and Sanctions relief with Iran”.

Washington and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire barely an hour before Trump’s deadline to obliterate the country was set to expire last night.

Despite the ceasefire announcement, attacks have continued, especially in Lebanon, which Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif said was covered by the agreement.

Today, Israel continued striking sites across Lebanon, describing the operation as the “largest coordinated strike” since the war with Iran began.

“The IDF completed the largest coordinated strike targeting approximately 100 Hezbollah command centres and military sites” in Beirut, Bekaa, and southern Lebanon, the military said.

“This is the largest strike carried out against Hezbollah infrastructure since the start of Operation Roaring Lion,” it said, referring to its military campaign against Iran, which began on 28 February. Hezbollah, however, entered the conflict on 2 March.

Earlier, the Israeli military urged residents of Beirut’s southern suburbs to evacuate, its third warning for residents of Lebanon since Washington announced a ceasefire with Iran.

Sharif acknowledged today that there have already been violations of the ceasefire.

“Violations of ceasefire have been reported at (a) few places across the conflict zone which undermine the spirit of peace process,” Sharif said on X.

“I earnestly and sincerely urge all parties to exercise restraint and respect the ceasefire for two weeks, as agreed upon, so that diplomacy can take a lead role towards peaceful settlement of the conflict.”

As part of the ceasefire, Tehran agreed to temporarily reopen the vital Strait of Hormuz.

Two ships have passed through the Strait since Iran agreed to reopen the waterway, according to maritime monitor Marine Traffic.

“The Greek-owned bulk carrier NJ Earth crossed the Strait at 08:44 UTC, while the Liberia-flagged Daytona Beach transited earlier at 06:59 UTC, shortly after departing Bandar Abbas at 05:28 UTC”, MarineTraffic said on X.

Both Washington and Iran claimed to have won the more than month-long conflict that has roiled global financial markets and sent oil prices skyrocketing, with Trump telling AFP the deal was a “total and complete victory” for the US.

Iran also cast the ceasefire as a win and said it had agreed to talks with Washington to begin on Friday in Pakistan on a path to end the conflict.

“The enemy has suffered an undeniable, historic and crushing defeat in its cowardly, illegal and criminal war against the Iranian nation,” said a statement from the Iranian Supreme National Security Council.

“Iran achieved a great victory.”

Last night the White House said Israel had also agreed to the ceasefire, but prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it does not include Lebanon.

“Israel supports President Trump’s decision to suspend strikes against Iran for two weeks subject to Iran immediately opening the straits and stopping all attacks on the US, Israel and countries in the region,” the office of Netanyahu said in a statement.

Israel added that it “supports the US effort to ensure that Iran no longer poses a nuclear, missile and terror threat”.

Israel had encouraged Trump to join the war against Iran, its arch-nemesis, and in the first strikes killed the long-serving supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Trump said he had spoken to Pakistan’s leaders who “requested that I hold off the destructive force being sent tonight to Iran”.