Trade with Iran makes Brazil a target for more US tariffs, data shows
By Ana Mano and Marcela Ayres
Tue, January 13, 2026 at 9:17 AM EST
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By Ana Mano and Marcela Ayres
SAO PAULO/BRASILIA, Jan 13 (Reuters) - Brazil ran a $2.9 billion trade surplus with Iran last year, government data shows, making the South American nation a potential candidate for new U.S. tariffs.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday any country that does business with Iran will face a tariff rate of 25% on any trade with the U.S., as Washington responds to political turmoil in Iran, which is seeing its biggest anti-government protests in years.
In mid-2025, Brazil faced additional U.S. tariffs on goods including beef, coffee, and orange juice. Washington later changed course, partly removing the extra duties to avoid inflationary pressure at home. However, some goods still face tariffs, including shoes, fish and wood.
Brazilian exports to Iran consist mainly of corn and soybeans, with these making up 67.9% and 19.3% of the country's total exports to the Persian nation in 2025.
Iran was the main destination for Brazilian corn last year, importing 9.1 million metric tons, according to trade data. Egypt and China, Brazil's main trade partner overall, imported a combined 9.5 million tons of corn, the same data set showed.
Brazil imported nearly $85 million worth of products from Iran, mainly fertilizers like urea, in addition to fruits and nuts, the data showed.
(Reporting by Ana Mano in São Paulo and Marcela Ayres in Brasília; Editing by Andrea Ricci )
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