White House: All Options Against Iran Are on the Table

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - U.S. President Donald Trump is warning countries that trade with Iran, stating, "We will impose a 25% customs tariff on any country that trades with Iran." Additionally, the French government has revealed that it has withdrawn a portion of its diplomats from its embassy in Tehran.

Donald Trump, the U.S. President, posted on his Truth Social account that he has issued a decisive decision to be implemented immediately, and the decision is related to Iran's sources of income. Trump says, "From now on, any country that conducts trade with the Islamic Republic of Iran will directly face a 25% customs tariff."

Trump's decision also includes Iraq, as the federal government of Iraq has extensive trade with Iran, particularly in the purchase and import of liquefied gas for electricity production.

This new decision comes as Trump has continuously sent warning messages to Iranian officials over the past three weeks not to be violent toward protesters. Furthermore, yesterday, Monday, January 12, he revealed that Iran has requested negotiations with the United States and that they will meet soon.

On the other hand, White House Spokesperson Karoline Leavitt stated that all options are on the U.S. President's table regarding how to deal with Iran, but Washington wants to resolve issues through diplomacy, which is its priority, even though the military option is also ready.

Leavitt added: "Regarding Iran's internal situation, all options are open to President Trump, including the military option. However, for us, the diplomatic option is always the priority, and we want to resolve issues diplomatically because what Iranian officials say to the public through the media is different from what they say in secret. Therefore, I assure you that President Trump will not hesitate to take any option against Iran, because no one knows Iran as well as he does."

Due to the internal situation in Iran, a senior source at the French Foreign Ministry revealed to Agence France-Presse (AFP) that diplomats who are not essential at their embassy in Tehran have been moved to another country.

The source also indicated that on Sunday and Monday of this week, their diplomats left the French embassy in Tehran and went to another country, but did not mention the number of diplomats or the name of the third country.

Simultaneously, the Donald Trump administration has urged Americans residing in Iran to leave the country immediately, warning them to leave via land routes using Iranian passports [for dual nationals] to avoid any risks. This comes at a time when a complicated situation has emerged due to internal protests in Iran.