Kanwal Sibal on Trump's 25% tariff threat: 'Does he want to contribute to a humanitarian crisis in Iran?'

Kanwal Sibal, Chancellor of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and former foreign secretary of India, questioned whether US President Donald Trump wants to trigger a humanitarian crisis in Iran. His take came hours after Trump announced a 25 per cent tariff on 'any country doing business with Iran'. 

Among Iran's trading partners are China, Turkey, India, the UAE, Pakistan and Armenia. 

Sibal wrote in a post on X: "China and the UAE are the biggest trade partners of Iran. Pakistan also trades with Iran. India exported $ 1.25 b worth of goods to Iran under non-sanctioned humanitarian category. Does Trump want to stop the flow of humanitarian goods, too? Contribute to a humanitarian disaster in Iran?"

He further said that Trump is suffering from what he called "tariff mania". "Punish the demonstrators, too? Could mean 75% tariffs on India? Raising the ante against China and his favourite Field Marshal too? Tariff mania."

According to Department of Commerce data, total non-sanctioned humanitarian exports from India to Iran in 2024-25 stood at $1.24 billion, whereas imports stood at $440 million. The total bilateral trade amounted to $1.68 billion, a fall from $1.85 billion in 2023-24. 

Major Indian exports to Iran include basmati rice, tea, sugar, fresh fruits, drugs/pharmaceuticals, manmade staple fibres, electrical machinery, and artificial jewellery. Major Iranian exports to India, on the other hand, include apples, pistachios, dates, kiwi, inorganic/organic chemicals, and glassware. 

The US has already imposed 50 per cent tariffs on India, among the highest in the world, which includes 25 per cent for Delhi's purchases of Russian oil and energy. Besides US sanctions, exports to Iran have already been constrained by banking/payment channel limitations and geopolitical risks.