White House Senior Economic Advisor Hassett: Trump can impose taxes on countries related to Iran using "emergency legislation"

The United States President Trump's tariff power once again attracts legal and market attention as he considers taking tougher measures on Iran-related trade. White House senior economic advisor and director of the National Economic Council, Hassett, stated that the government could impose tariffs on relevant countries under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), even though the law was previously ruled by the U.S. Supreme Court not to be used for tariff collection. In an interview with the media, Hassett said that the U.S. is currently in a "conflict situation", and therefore the law is designed for similar situations, allowing the president to impose tariffs of up to 50% on goods from countries providing weapons to Iran. He warned that relevant countries should "exercise caution." However, this statement quickly faced legal challenges. In a ruling in February, the U.S. Supreme Court clearly stated that the IEEPA "does not authorize the president to impose tariffs" and did not make exceptions for war or conflict situations. Justice Neil Gorsuch also emphasized in his concurring opinion that the law is not a wartime legislation. Analysts believe that if the Trump administration ultimately pushes forward with tariff measures based on this law, they will undoubtedly face difficult legal challenges. Although the White House may argue that the president has an "inherent power" based on the constitution to impose tariffs during times of war, the majority opinion of the Supreme Court has pointed out that the president does not have such powers during peacetime and there is still controversy over the scope of application during wartime. It is worth noting that in the previous ruling, three dissenting justices believed that the president does have some "inherent power", and Gorsuch also acknowledged that there is still "room for reasonable debate" on the issue. However, based on the current composition of the court, there are not enough votes in favor of this position to form a majority. Market participants point out that if the related tariff measures are implemented, it may not only exacerbate geopolitical tensions but also bring new uncertainties to the global trade environment and supply chain stability. In the midst of unclear legal prospects, the direction of the policy still needs to be further observed.