Trump Threatens to Impose 50% Tariffs on China: Intelligence Says China Plans to Deliver Air-Defense Weapons to Iran

U.S. President Trump on April 13 threatened to impose a 50% tariff on China. The trigger was a report from CNN citing U.S. intelligence sources, which said China is preparing to deliver a new air defense system to Iran, including shoulder-fired air defense missiles (MANPADS). According to a report by CNBC, this is Trump’s first time explicitly including China in the scope of threats to impose a “50% tariff on supplying weapons to Iran.”

From general references to naming China directly: China becomes an immediate target

Trump had previously threatened on April 8 to impose a 50% tariff on “countries that supply military weapons to Iran,” but at the time he did not name China. On April 12, in a public statement, Trump explicitly said that China “is obviously included within that definition,” and added that if China is caught providing military aid to Iran, the tariff would “take effect immediately.”

These remarks escalated after 21 hours of negotiations between the U.S. and Iran failed to reach an agreement. After Vance returned to the country and Trump immediately ordered the Strait of Hormuz to be blocked, he is now again turning his sights on China— a three-pronged pressure strategy is taking shape.

China denies supplying weapons and calls for restraint

China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Mao Ning denied the allegations of military aid, saying that China “has never provided weapons to any party in the conflict,” and called on all sides to exercise restraint. China also emphasized the role it is playing in brokering a ceasefire and reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

However, reports from U.S. intelligence agencies indicate that the weapons China is preparing to deliver include a new air defense system. If that is true, it would be a direct challenge to the U.S. military’s air advantage in the Middle East. This means that this tariff threat is not only a trade issue, but also involves the military-strategic level.

Whether the tariffs can truly be implemented

It is worth noting that as of April 13, the 50% tariff had not yet been formally issued. In February 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court narrowed the president’s authority to implement tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA)— which is the legal basis for Trump’s earlier global tariffs. Legal experts said that alternative mechanisms (such as Section 338, Section 301, and Section 232 of the Tariff Act of 1930) can still be used, but would require a formal investigation before taking effect.

This means that the “take effect immediately” threat is more of a political pressure tool, and actual implementation may require legal procedures lasting weeks or even months.

Impact on financial markets

The escalation of tensions in the China-U.S.-Iran triangle is hitting markets from multiple angles: oil prices have surged past $102 due to the Hormuz blockade, and if China’s military aid to Iran is confirmed, it could trigger a new round of sanctions and tariffs, further pushing up inflation expectations. Asian markets generally opened lower on Monday.

For the crypto market, geopolitical uncertainty is a double-edged sword. In the short term, risk assets face pressure, but in the medium to long term, the fragmentation of the global trade system is strengthening the narrative of Bitcoin as a “de-sovereignized store of value”— and this is one of the backgrounds for Strategy to increase its buy-in of $1 billion for Bitcoin against the trend at this time.

This article Trump threatens China with a 50% tariff: Intelligence says China plans to deliver air-defense weapons to Iran first appeared on Lian News ABMedia.