Trump Threatens 25% Tariffs on Iran Trade Partners Amid Nationwide Internet Blackout
Digital Iron Curtain Descends as Geopolitical Tensions Spill into Trade War.
The 25% Hammer
Former President Trump's latest tariff threat isn't just about trade—it's a direct assault on the legacy financial corridors that have long governed global commerce. Targeting nations still doing business with Iran, the proposed 25% levy is a blunt instrument in a world rapidly moving toward digital, borderless value transfer. It's the old guard trying to tax a river that's already found a new path to the sea.
Blackout Economics
Iran's nationwide internet outage provides the chilling backdrop. When a state can flip the 'off' switch on its digital economy, it exposes the fatal flaw of centralized systems. It's the ultimate argument for decentralized networks—where value and data flow on protocols, not permissions. No government tariff can touch a transaction validated on a globally distributed ledger.
The Cynical Finance Jab
Meanwhile, traditional finance scrambles to price in the geopolitical risk premium—a quaint exercise in guesswork when the real action is in assets that operate 24/7, beyond the reach of any single nation's sanctions or firewalls. They're busy calculating tariffs while crypto markets price in the future.
The takeaway? Every geopolitical shockwave that rattles the old system sends another pulse of capital and conviction toward the new one. The firewalls are going up, but the tunnels are already dug.
Trump’s tariff threat lands as protests, legal pressure, and internet shutdown continue
The tariff announcement comes as Iran deals with widespread anti-government protests. TRUMP has warned that alleged killings of these protesters could trigger military action against Iran.
The US president has also publicly supported the demonstrations against the Iranian government via so many social media posts.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is currently reviewing whether several of Trump’s earlier tariffs were legal, including the infamous reciprocal duties announced in early April and others tied to alleged fentanyl trafficking.
Trump relied on the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, known as IEEPA, to impose those tariffs, but it’s still unclear whether the new Iran-linked tariff also uses that law.
At the same time, Iran remains largely offline. NetBlocks reported that Iranian citizens have been without internet or telecommunications access for 96 hours. The shutdown has caused major economic damage.
Sharareh Abdolhoseinzadeh, a political researcher based in Tehran, said earlier disruptions hit businesses hard. During the 2022 Woman Life Freedom protests, daily losses ranged from 500 million to 5 billion rial. He said three months of internet outages in Iran equal 43% of annual oil revenue, which is estimated at $25 billion.
The Pentagon has presented Trump with a wider range of military strike options against Iran, including targeting nuclear and missile sites, according to a New York Times report.
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