Jakarta. An Iranian diplomat said Monday that US President Donald Trump’s tariff threats against Tehran’s trading partners would fail as countries had begun resisting his coercion.

Trump recently unveiled 25% tariffs on any country doing business with Iran. Washington wants the world to isolate Tehran because of its crackdown on protesters. Iranian Ambassador to Indonesia Mohammad Boroujerdi told the press that Trump might have “forgotten” that not all countries wanted to follow his words, while alluding to the European Union or EU’s resistance. The European bloc is reportedly planning to impose retaliatory tariffs of up to 93 billion euros or around $108 billion on American goods amidst the Greenland crisis.

“Trump can order for the US. But the EU has said that it would not obey these kinds of rules. Some independent countries declared that they would not obey. They [the US] must accept that economic sanctions have failed,” Boroujerdi stated in Jakarta.

He pointed out how Iran had faced numerous US sanctions, even dating back to 1979. An example included the US halting Iranian oil imports and freezing $12 billion in Iranian assets that year. Boroujerdi noted that the 25-percent-tariffs would not be enough to put pressure on Iran, citing its economic size despite a weakening rial. Boroujeri said: “Iran is a big economy. It is not possible [for the US] to do what they are going to do.”

“I hope it [the tariffs] will fail, just like their other plans.”

Trump’s initial statement on the Iran tariffs did not specify whether they were targeting its major trading partners, such as China, or just about anyone engaging in import-export activities. He has yet to issue any follow-up technical details on the 25% tariffs, although the businessman-turned-politician previously announced the new import duties should be "effective immediately".

The Indonesian government chose not to fret about Trump’s latest tariff gambit. Government data showed Indonesia-Iran trade totaled “just” $232.6 million in the first 11 months of 2025. For comparison, Indonesia’s trade with the US neared $40 billion over the same period.

“Our transactions with Iran are not that big [in value]. Indonesia is not too worried. We are focusing on wrapping up the [trade deal] negotiations with the US,” Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs’ spokesman Haryo Limanseto said.

At home, Indonesia is trying to secure a trade deal with the US. Negotiations that had begun since last April have seen Trump becoming more lax with his tariffs, down from the initial 32% to 19%. The current deal on the table also has Washington agreeing to remove the import duties on Indonesian palm oil.

The dire economic situation was what had prompted Iranians to take to the streets. In late December, the Iranian rial dropped to an all-time low against the American dollar. The riots eventually morphed into widespread anti-government protests. News agency Reuters, quoting an anonymous Iranian official, recently reported that the verified death toll in the protests had reached at least 5,000.  Indonesia has no plans to evacuate its citizens from Iran for now. 

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