President Donald Trump says countries doing business with Iran will face a 25% tariff on trade with the US, in response to a deadly crackdown on anti-government protests
It's a big swing from the US president, but one that comes with little detail, writes our economics reporter
China, Iran's largest trading partner, says it "will take all necessary measures to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests"
Meanwhile, Trump's national security team is expected to meet later to discuss intervention options – the US president has already been briefed on a range of military and covert tools his country could use, officials tell the BBC's US partner CBS
Human rights groups report hundreds have been killed by Iranian security forces at anti-government protests in recent weeks. One eyewitness tells the BBC "they fired directly into lines of protesters, and people fell where they stood"
State media reports protests calmed last night, but the BBC has received footage from people who claim they continued in a number of different places – but a days-long internet blackout is making it difficult to verify information
This video can not be played
Watch: Protesters and security forces clash in Iran protests
Edited by Angus Thompson
Caroline Hawley
Diplomatic correspondent
It may take a while before we know the true scale of the bloodshed that’s taken place amid the internet blackout – but Iranians able to call out of the country for the first time in several days are telling their relatives abroad of terrible levels of death and destruction.
The city of Rasht, on the coast of the Caspian Sea, has been described by one resident as unrecognisable. “Everywhere is burnt with fire,” they say.
The use of live ammunition by security forces to quell protests has also been accompanied by a wave of arrests. According to the Hengaw Organisation for Human Rights, a 26-year old man detained last Thursday has already been sentenced to death.
It says that Efran Sultani’s family have been informed that he will executed tomorrow, although they have been given no information about when his trial took place or what the charges against him are.
“We have never witnessed a case move so quickly,” Awyar Shekhi from the organisation tells the BBC. “The government is using every tactic they know to suppress people and spread fear.”
One of the largest nationwide anti-government protests took place on Thursday, the twelfth night of demonstrations
Protests in Iran began over two weeks ago, on 28 December, when shopkeepers took to the streets of the capital Tehran over another sharp fall in the value of the Iranian currency, the rial, against the US dollar on the open market.
The rial has sunk to a record low over the past year and inflation has soared – meaning every day items like cooking oil and meat have risen to crippling highs.
The economy has been weakened by government mismanagement and corruption, as well as sanctions over Iran's nuclear programme.
Protests spread to other cities alongside wider calls for political change. According to US-based Iranian Human Rights Activists News Agency, demonstrations have taken place in at least 186 cities and towns across all of Iran's provinces.
Since then, hundreds of protesters have been killed and thousands injured, according to human rights groups. But a digital blackout has stopped most Iranians from contacting the outside world, with millions cut off from internet access – making it difficult to verify information.
In recent days, US President Donald Trump has threatened intervention action.
On Monday, he warned that the US is considering "very strong options" to intervene – and overnight, he announced a 25% tariff on goods from countries with commercial ties to Iran.
His national security team is expected to meet later to discuss intervention options, and Trump has already been briefed on a range of military and covert tools his country could use, officials tell the BBC's US partner CBS.
Ghoncheh Habibiazad
Senior reporter, BBC Persian
Some international calls from Iran have gone through today. Internet is still down in Iran at the moment, while some are connected via Starlink, Elon Musk’s SpaceX satellite internet.
From what I’ve heard from someone living near Tehran, there were “checkpoints in every block” where cars and the phones of their occupants were being inspected.
The person also said that from last night, the jamming in their area on their Starlink access had increased and it kept “connecting and disconnecting”.
Professor Shahram Kordasti is from Iran but has been working as an oncologist in London for the last two decades.
Kordasti maintains regular contact with a network of other doctors in Iran and says that in previous periods of unrest "it's always been relatively easy to get information".
This time, all channels of communication have been blocked – including Starlink, which had been working a few days ago – he says.
He tells BBC Newsday the last message he received was from a colleague in Tehran told him: "In most hospitals, it's like a warzone. We are short of supplies, short of blood."
Though he says he's unable to verify this, Kordasti says his doctor contacts across "two to three hospitals" tell him they've treated hundreds of people who are injured or who have died.
"The numbers we're getting are mainly from Tehran or big cities but we have no clue what's going on in the smaller cities."
There are ongoing limitations and difficulties in receiving information from inside Iran that can be used to verify accounts.
In recent days, staff at several hospitals in Iran have told the BBC their facilities are overwhelmed with dead or injured patients.
A medic at one Tehran hospital said there were "direct shots to the heads of the young people, to their hearts as well", while a doctor said an eye hospital in the capital had gone into crisis mode.
Sarah Jalali
BBC Monitoring
Iranian state media devoted heavy coverage to pro-establishment marches on Monday
Fars news agency, which is linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC), has claimed that last night was the “calm after the storm” following over two weeks of protests in the country.
A report on the agency at midnight local time claimed that there was a “night free from unrest” in many cities across the country, including the capital Tehran, as well as Isfahan, Ilam and Bushehr.
Fars said that despite calm being restored in most cities, security forces were continuing their patrols in a number of locations to “reassure the public”.
The report claimed that around three million people had taken part in yesterday’s march in support of the establishment, which the report said would play an effective role in consolidating security in Iran.
Despite this, the BBC received footage from people who claim protests continued in a number of different areas last night, although the internet blackout – now in its fifth day – makes it is difficult to verify when the videos were filmed.
Norway-based group Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) also reported yesterday that at least 648 protesters had been killed in the recent unrest while also noting that unverified reports could raise the death toll to more than 6,000.
Dearbail Jordan
Senior business and economics reporter
It is a big swing from Donald Trump, this order to impose a 25% US tariff on countries “doing business” with Iran. A big swing with little detail.
For instance, will it apply to ALL countries or just Iran’s major trading partners such as China, India and Turkey? Will the 25% tax be on top of the tariffs the Trump administration imposed last year?
Theoretically, it would mean that US buyers of Chinese goods would have to pay a tariff of 72.5%.
If so, Maurice Obstfeld, former chief economist at International Monetary Fund, told the Washington Post the new tariff “was profoundly self-harming for the US and will not change the Iranians’ behaviour one iota”.
Then we come to the legality of it. Is Trump allowed, by law, to do this? He may be using the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose this latest tax.
This is the same mechanism he relied on for last year’s so-called “Liberation Day” tariffs and is subject to a legal challenge – the Supreme Court could decide as soon as Wednesday to strike them down which would mean, as Trump himself said on Monday, “WE’RE SCREWED”.
Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinpin in South Korea in October
China says it "will take all necessary measures to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests" after Donald Trump announced a tariff against those doing business with Iran.
The 25% tariff is "effective immediately", Trump announced on Monday, as part of his response to Iran's anti-government protest crackdown. China is Iran's largest trading partner.
In a post on X, a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington says: "China's position against the indiscriminate imposition of tariffs is consistent and clear.
"Tariff wars and trade wars have no winners, and coercion and pressure cannot solve problems. Protectionism harms the interests of all parties."
Roja Assadi and Sarah Namjoo
BBC Persian
Thursday saw one of the largest protests against the government take place
"I saw it with my own eyes – they fired directly into lines of protesters, and people fell where they stood."
BBC News has been receiving accounts from Iranians of the crackdown by security forces following last week's widespread protests across the country.
Omid – whose name has been changed for his safety – says forces fired on unarmed protesters in his city with assault rifles.
"We are fighting a brutal regime with empty hands," he says.
One of the biggest anti-government protests took place on Thursday.
The following day, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said: "The Islamic Republic will not back down." It appears that the worst bloodshed occurred after that warning.
Since the crackdown started, nearly 650 protesters have been killed and thousands injured, one human rights group says.
One protester in Tehran called it a battlefield, with protesters and security forces taking positions and cover on the streets.
But she added: "In war, both sides have weapons. Here, people only chant and get killed. It is a one-sided war."
You can read more eyewitness accounts in our story.
A digital blackout stopping most Iranians from contacting the outside world and eachother has now passed the 108-hour mark, according to an update from internet monitor NetBlocks.
The blackout began after videos from protests were posted on social media, and eye-witness accounts from Iranians on the ground were reported to foreign journalists.
According to the human rights organisation Witness, over 90 million people have been cut off from the internet since the protests began in Iran.
BBC Persian made contact with people who had temporarily gained internet access via Starlink – which operates like a cell tower in space – and other methods.
Those spoken to said that sending text messages within Iran is extremely difficult, and some of them have only received text messages either inviting them to pro-government demonstrations or warning them against taking part in the anti-government protests.
Tom Bateman
US State Department correspondent
Donald Trump's announcement of a 25% levy on any country doing business with Iran opens the prospect of a new round of tariffs escalation between the US and China, one of the biggest buyers of already sanctioned Iranian oil.
Trump is continuing to weigh the option of military strikes on Iran, having said its deadly crackdown on protesters was “starting to” cross his red line.
The White House is signalling that no final decision has been made and has pointed to channels of communication remaining open.
These had last year involved on-off negotiations over Iran’s nuclear programme.
Both countries have confirmed renewed contact between Iranian officials and Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff. Despite the heated rhetoric in public by both leaderships, the White House claimed Iran’s tone in private was very different.
Trump is no stranger to tariffs – in April he set levies on imports from more than 90 countries
As we've been reporting, Donald Trump has announced a 25% tariff on goods from countries with commercial ties to Iran.
The tariff is "effective immediately", the president posted on his media platform Truth Social, adding: "This order is final and conclusive."
Iran is already under severe US sanctions, facing a collapsing currency and inflation that has pushed food prices up by as much as 70%.
Food makes up about one-third of Iran's imports, and further restrictions caused by the tariffs could worsen shortages and costs.
China is Iran's largest trading partner, followed by Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and India.
Paul Adams
Diplomatic correspondent
This video can not be played
Watch: How could Trump respond to Iran crackdown?
For President Trump, it's decision time. Ten days ago, he said the US was prepared to go to the "rescue" of Iranian protesters if their government used violence against them.
That was before the violent crackdown in Iran had really begun. Now, with its full extent being shockingly revealed, the world waits to see how Trump will respond.
Flushed with success in Venezuela – the president described the capture of Nicolas Maduro as one of the most successful operations in US history – the temptation to deploy the military must be considerable.
As events last summer demonstrated, the US is perfectly capable of mounting attacks from a distance. B-2 stealth bombers flew 30-hour round trip missions from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri to drop bunker busting bombs on two of Iran's most important nuclear sites.
One scenario that can almost certainly be ruled out, however, is anything remotely resembling what unfolded in Caracas on 3 January.
Even in its weakened state, and battered by recent American and Israeli strikes, Iran is not Venezuela. The Islamic Republic is a battle-hardened regime. The removal of a single figure is unlikely to bend the entire country to Washington's will.
We're returning to our live coverage of the ongoing Iran protests, as US President Donald Trump weighs missile strikes, cyber options and a psychological campaign among covert and military options in response to the violence.
Two US defence officials told the BBC's US partner, CBS News, the president had been briefed on a wide range of responses to the Iranian government crackdown on anti-government demonstrations, that have now entered their third week.
Trump has also announced 25% tariffs on goods from countries "doing business" with Tehran, but did not elaborate further on what that would entail.
This comes as at least 648 protesters have been killed in Iran's ongoing crackdown on anti-government demonstrations, according to Norway-based human rights group Iran Human Rights. Thousands more have been injured since the protests started on 28 December.
One young woman in the capital likened it to "the day of judgement", telling the BBC: "Security forces only killed and killed and killed. Seeing it with my own eyes made me so unwell that I completely lost morale. Friday was a bloody day."
Stay with us for the latest lines.
Jack Grey
Live reporter
Almost 650 protesters have been killed in demonstrations that have swept Iran since the 28 December, according to a human rights group.
Today, we've seen a back and forth of words between the US and Iranian leaders:
In the past hour, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that air strikes are one of the "many options" still on the table for Trump.
BBC diplomatic correspondent Paul Adams says Trump now faces a dilemma, having to choose whether to follow through on his threats, or stand by while Iranian protesters are gunned down and risk losing face.
BBC Verify have been analysing footage of the deadly protests and a mortuary in Tehran.
Iran continues to face an internet blackout that has forced residents offline for over 96 hours, our colleagues at BBC Persian have been speaking to Iranians about the impact of the digital outage.
Want to find out more? Our experts answered your questions earlier, here's a reminder:
We're now pausing our live coverage, but you can keep up to date in our news story and digest some analysis from our international correspondent.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt says President Donald Trump is still considering the use of air strikes to address the situation in Iran.
Speaking to reporters a short while ago, she said: "One thing President Trump is very good at is always keeping all of his options on the table. And air strikes would be one of the many, many options that are on the table."
"Diplomacy is always the first option for the president," Leavitt stresses, though points out that Trump is "unafraid to use the lethal force and might" of the US military "if and when he deems that necessary".
She says "nobody knows that better than Iran", referencing last summer's strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites, which Trump said caused "monumental damage".
After Iran's Supreme Leader issued a message of victory earlier today, Leavitt tells the press: "What you're hearing publicly from the Iranian regime is quite different from the messages the administration is receiving privately."
Leavitt says an Iranian official has reached out to envoy Steve Witkoff, which she says expresses "a far different tone than what you're seeing publicly".Ghoncheh Habibiazad
Senior reporter, BBC Persian
At a time when internet access inside Iran has officially been cut off, communication among protesters is also difficult.
BBC Persian has been able to make contact with people who had temporarily gained internet access via Starlink and other methods.
They say that sending text messages to one another within Iran is extremely difficult, and some of them have only received text messages either inviting them to pro-government demonstrations or warning them against taking part in the anti-government protests.
“There aren’t many ways of communicating at the moment. We had a group where we planned things together, but now nothing is clear at all," a source says.
Meanwhile, those we speak to say that phone calls inside Iran have also been cut off for periods of time.
“The situation is such that even we ourselves don’t know much, apart from what we hear from people who live close to us," says a source.
Those who have spoken to BBC Persian also talk about protesters chanting slogans at night from inside their homes.
Reha Kansara
News reporter
Starlink terminals, like the one pictured here, can allow users to connect directly to the internet via satellites, bypassing the blackout
According to the human rights organisation Witness, over 90 million people have been cut off from the internet since the protests began in Iran.
In situations like this, Starlink, which operates like a cell tower in space, allows unmodified mobile phones to connect directly to the internet using satellite technology.
Tens of thousands of Starlink terminals operate inside Iran through black markets, providing a communications lifeline to some of those who are digitally trapped.
But even this is now being restricted by the Iranian authorities.
“Most documentation and information that has trickled out of Iran since last Thursday evening has been through Starlink connections," says Mahsa Alimardani from Witness.
She says there was "aggressive jamming" of Starlink at the onset of the blackout, but that some terminals have come online since Friday.
Iran has now been offline for more than 96 hours, according to internet monitoring organisation NetBlocks.
Across the nation, only 1% of the typical amount of internet access has been reported since the blackout started on 8 January.
In our next post, our reporter Reha Kansara will take a closer look at the Starlink terminals that have given a "lifeline" to those cut off by Iran's digital blackout.
This video can not be played
By Merlyn Thomas
Norway-based human rights group Iran Human Rights says nearly 648 protesters have been killed in Iran since protests began. They warn the true figure could be much higher.
Despite the government imposed internet blackout, several videos – believed to have been filmed on Friday – have emerged showing rows and rows of dead bodies in a mortuary in Tehran.
What appear to be friends and family members are seen walking through the rows to identify their loved ones.
We’ve blurred images from these videos because they’re too graphic to show, but by using the footage we’ve been able to count at least 180 bodies from just one mortuary.Ghoncheh Habibiazad
Senior reporter, BBC Persian
The message from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei following pro-establishment rallies today pointed the finger directly at “American politicians”.
He did not mention US President Donald Trump specifically, marking a shift from his speech three days ago in which he said the US president would be “brought down”.
State media said large crowds gathered in several cities following calls for pro-government demonstrations. BBC Persian has seen text messages inviting people inside the country to attend these demonstrations, while also warning them not to take part in anti-government protests.
Khamenei’s message was one of victory. He described the day as “historic” and said it had “thwarted the plans of foreign enemies”.
However, those with limited access to the internet inside the country paint a different picture. They say that some people around them are mourning their loved ones. At least 648 protesters have been killed, according to Norway-based rights group Iran Human Rights.
Many Iranian websites remain inaccessible from outside Iran.
Meanwhile, the website of the Iranian Supreme Leader and Telegram channels run by some Iranian outlets are still active, projecting an image of Iran to the outside world that most Iranians themselves cannot access because of internet restrictions.
Copyright © 2026 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.