Washington uses tariffs and sanctions as tools of coercion, the Russian foreign minister has said
The US is resorting to “dirty methods” such as threatening tariffs of up to 500% in an attempt to suppress rivals, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said, describing the approach as a “diktat.”
Lavrov made the remarks in an interview with Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB on Monday, where he addressed US trade policy toward China and sanctions imposed on political grounds.
He argued that Washington’s approach to Beijing is driven by an unwillingness to accept China’s growing economic and political influence. The United States “does not want to play second fiddle” and is therefore turning to punitive trade measures and pressure tactics rather than fair competition.
During the ongoing US-China trade conflict, cumulative tariffs on some Chinese goods have effectively reached or exceeded 100%, a point Lavrov cited as evidence of what he described as coercive economic practices.
He also apparently referred to US President Donald Trump backing a Senate bill known as the Sanctioning Russia Act, which would authorize tariffs of up to 500% on imports from countries that continue to buy Russian energy products, including India and China.
”When someone is trying to suppress rivals by 100- or even 500-percent tariffs or imposes sanctions after openly declaring that the reason is political, this is even more than inequality. This is a disrespect for human rights. This is diktat,” Lavrov said.
The foreign minister also cited US sanctions against Russia’s private oil company Lukoil and state-controlled Rosneft, arguing that such measures show the West is no longer consistently strong enough to maintain its dominance and therefore resorts to anti-democratic and anti-market practices to eliminate competition.
Lavrov’s interview came ahead of talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi scheduled for Wednesday, with discussions expected to focus on energy cooperation and trade ties. Russia and Iran, which are both under long-standing Western sanctions, signed a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement earlier this year and have stepped up coordination in recent months. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian have met three times this year, most recently last week.
