April 13, 2026politicaltrade policyIran warU.S. China relationstariffs
Trump threatens 50% tariff on China if it supplies Iran with anti-aircraft missiles
President Trump publicly threatened to impose a 50% tariff on all Chinese goods if China was caught supplying anti-aircraft missiles to Iran, responding to a CNN intelligence report about imminent weapons delivery. Trump said consequences would be immediate. Administration sources told reporters Trump was unlikely to follow through before his planned May summit with Xi Jinping. A 50% tariff would exceed Section 122's 15% statutory cap, the administration's only remaining tariff authority after the Supreme Court struck down IEEPA tariffs in February.