Trump Escalates Pressure on Iran: Will It Affect Kazakhstan?

The Ministry of Trade and Integration of Kazakhstan has commented on U.S. President Donald Trump's recent statements regarding the introduction of a 25% tariff on countries that conduct business with Iran while simultaneously trading with the United States. In response to an inquiry from BES.media, the Ministry noted that, as of now, there is no published legal act in open official U.S. sources that legally establishes such a measure.

The Ministry emphasized that the official parameters of the initiative—including the list of countries and specific goods that could fall under restrictions - have not yet been defined. Therefore, the agency stated that at this stage, there are no grounds to discuss a direct impact of potential tariffs on trade and economic relations between Kazakhstan and the United States.

According to Ministry data, trade turnover between Kazakhstan and Iran from January to November 2025 amounted to $396.1 million. Exports reached $224.5 million, while imports totaled $171.7 million. Kazakhstan's primary exports to Iran include barley, wheat, cotton fiber, and dried legumes. Imports from Iran consist of butter, ethylene polymers, cheese and curd, plastic materials, dates, other fruits, milk and cream, cement, as well as canned fruits and nuts.

In December last year, Presidents Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Masoud Pezeshkian participated in the Kazakh-Iranian Business Forum. At the time, both parties declared their intention to increase trade volumes and expand cooperation in economics, transport, technology, and ecology, with plans to raise turnover first to $1 billion and eventually to $2 billion.

Trade turnover between Kazakhstan and the U.S. for the period of January - November 2025 reached $2.8 billion. Exports to the U.S. stood at $0.9 billion, while imports amounted to $1.9 billion. Kazakhstan mainly supplies the United States with crude oil, silver, uranium, and ferroalloys. Key imports from the U.S. include aircraft, passenger cars, gas turbines, aircraft engines, and pharmaceuticals.

As a reminder, on January 13, Donald Trump announced the immediate implementation of a 25% tariff on countries maintaining commercial ties with Iran while trading with the U.S. This decision marks the latest step in Washington's campaign of economic pressure against Tehran.