TODAY’S PAPER | April 08, 2026 | EPAPER

US will give sanctions, tariff relief to Iran: Trump

Says US will work closely with Iran, warns countries supplying military weapons to Iran of immediate 50% tariffs


Web Desk April 08, 2026 4 min read
US will give sanctions, tariff relief to Iran: Trump

The United States will work closely with Iran and the two countries are discussing tariff and sanctions relief, President Donald Trump said on Wednesday, following the ​announcement of a two-week ceasefire.

Trump pulled back from the brink of a threatened full-on assault on ‌Iran on Tuesday night, two hours before a deadline he had set for Tehran to open the blockaded Strait of Hormuz.

"We are, and will be, talking ​tariff and sanctions relief with Iran," Trump said in a social media post.

Despite ⁠his ebullient comments and widespread relief on Iran's streets and in global financial markets over the ​ceasefire, the main disagreements between Washington and Tehran remain unresolved and the two sides are sticking ​to competing demands for a potential peace deal.

Trump also said in a post on Truth Social that his administration would work closely with Iran, following the announcement of a two-week ceasefire brokered by Pakistan.

Trump Truth Social post

"The United States will work closely with Iran, which we have determined has gone through what will be a very productive Regime Change!" Trump wrote. He added, "There will be no enrichment of Uranium, and the United States will, working with Iran, dig up and remove all of the deeply buried (B-2 Bombers) nuclear 'dust'.

"It is now, and has been, under very exacting Satellite Surveillance (Space Force!)," the president said, noting, "Nothing has been touched from the date of attack."

He added that the US was and would continue to discuss tariffs and sanctions with Iran. "Many of the 15 points have already been been agreed to," Trump said.

In a separate post, Trump wrote: "A Country supplying Military Weapons to Iran will be immediately tariffed, on any and all goods sold to the United States of America, 50%, effective immediately."

Trump post on Truth Social

He added that there would be no exclusions or exemptions in this regard.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced earlier today that Iran and the US "along with their allies have agreed to an immediate ceasefire everywhere, including Lebanon and elsewhere, EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY".

In a post on X, PM Shehbaz further invited the US and Iran's "delegations to Islamabad on Friday, April 10 2026, to further negotiate for a conclusive agreement to settle all disputes".

Trump agreed to the two-week ceasefire with less than two hours before his deadline for Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face devastating attacks on its civilian infrastructure.

US President Donald Trump on Truth Social.

"A big day for World Peace! Iran wants it to happen, they’ve had enough! Likewise, so has everyone else!" he said on Truth Social. The post added that "The United States of America will be helping with the traffic buildup in the Strait of Hormuz."

Trump's announcement represented an abrupt turnaround from an earlier claim, when he issued a warning that "a whole civilisation will die tonight" if his demands were not met.

Trump said the last-minute deal was subject to Iran's agreement to pause its blockade of oil and gas supplies through the strait, which typically handles about one-fifth of global oil shipments. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a statement that Tehran would stop counter-attacks and provide safe passage through the waterway.

"This will be a double-sided CEASEFIRE!" Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. "The reason for doing so is that we have already met and exceeded all Military objectives, and are very far along with a definitive Agreement concerning Longterm PEACE with Iran, and PEACE in the Middle East."

US President Donald Trump on Truth Social.

The war, now in its sixth week, has claimed more than 5,000 lives in nearly a dozen countries, including more than 1,600 civilians in Iran and over 1,000 civilians in Lebanon, according to tallies from government sources and human rights groups.

Trump issued an initial deadline to Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, followed by repeated extensions and retaliatory strikes targeting key infrastructure and military assets.

On March 21, the president gave Iran 48 hours to reopen the strait, warning that US forces would strike the country’s energy facilities if it failed to comply. Two days later, on March 23, Trump said, "Very good and productive talks" had taken place, and postponed the planned strike by five days. On March 27, he extended the deadline further to April 6.

Hostilities escalated on March 29, when a US E-3 Sentry early warning aircraft was damaged on the ground during an airstrike at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia. Between April 3 and 4, US F-15E and A-10 Warthog aircraft were also downed, while two C-130 aircraft were destroyed during a rescue operation for a downed pilot.

Meanwhile, attacks continued across Tehran and the Kharg Island, while energy infrastructure was also struck. On April 5, Trump extended the deadline for an agreement with Iran to Tuesday, 8pm EDT (0000 GMT, Wednesday).

COMMENTS (1)

Benjamin | 1 hour ago | Reply US President Donald Trump in reverse should endorse Nobel Peace Prize for PM Shehbaz Sharif and CDF Asim Munir for 2027.
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