On Sunday, April 12, 2026, Trump said China would face a 50% tariff if it were caught supplying weapons to Iran. Asked by Fox's Maria Bartiromo on Sunday Morning Futures whether his earlier threat against countries arming Iran included China, Trump replied, “Yes. And other people. But yes, China too.” Referring to news reports about Chinese shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles, he added, “I doubt they would do that,” and, “If we catch them doing that, they get a 50 percent tariff.”
The remarks followed a CNN report on April 11, citing three people familiar with U.S. intelligence assessments, that China was preparing to deliver man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS) to Iran within weeks, possibly routed through third countries. CNN reported that such weapons had posed a threat to low-flying U.S. military aircraft during the war. A Chinese Embassy spokesperson told CNN, “China has never provided weapons to any party to the conflict; the information in question is untrue.” Trump himself said such reports were “still fake,” according to CNBC, and CNBC noted the reported shipment remained unverified.
The warning built on an April 8 Truth Social post, made the day after a two-week U.S.-Iran ceasefire was announced, in which 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. There will be no exclusions or exemptions!” Newsweek reported that the Bartiromo exchange appeared to be the first time Trump named China in connection with that tariff threat; a day earlier he had said China would have “big problems” if it sent weapons, without mentioning tariffs. The threat tied an arms dispute directly to trade penalties weeks before Trump's scheduled May visit to Beijing.
Correction (October 2, 2026): This entry said Trump threatened an “immediate” 50% tariff on China on April 13 after U.S. intelligence reports, and that it was the first time he named China in an Iran arms threat. The remarks were made on April 12 and were conditional (“If we catch them doing that”), Trump said he doubted China would do it, the intelligence was reported by CNN through anonymous sources, and Trump had warned China of “big problems” the day before. Unsourced claims that the tariff would hit “virtually every sector” of the economy and “blurs the line” between trade and military action were removed; the date was corrected.