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Trump targets seven more countries with tariffs as US trade pressure mounts
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday issued a new round of tariff notices to seven additional countries, escalating his administration's push to secure a wave of bilateral trade deals.
According to an AFP report, the letters, addressed to the leaders of the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Brunei, Algeria, Libya, Iraq, and Moldova, outline import duties ranging from 20% to 30%, set to take effect on August 1.
The latest notices follow a similar batch released earlier this week and mark a continuation of Trump's strategy of pressuring trading partners through unilateral tariff threats. While some countries saw adjusted rates from previous announcements, most remained within the range of earlier proposals.
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Sri Lanka's tariff, for instance, has been lowered to 30% from the 44% announced in April. Iraq's rate was also reduced to 30% from 39%. In contrast, the Philippines saw an increase to 20%, up from the earlier 17%.
Back in April, Trump imposed a 10% baseline tariff on nearly all US trading partners but withheld harsher rates for dozens of nations, pending further negotiations. These higher rates were initially scheduled to take effect on July 8 but have now been delayed until August 1, giving countries time to respond or adjust.
The letters warn that duties may be increased further if countries retaliate or fail to meet U.S. expectations. Trump defended the levies on Wednesday, calling them a matter of 'common sense' and citing trade imbalances as justification.
At a public event, Trump said additional letters, including one for Brazil, which has not yet been targeted, would be released later in the day.
The language of the new communications mirrored that of previous letters, describing US trade relationships as 'far from reciprocal' and encouraging nations to relocate manufacturing to the United States to avoid penalties.
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So far, over 20 countries—including close allies like Japan and South Korea, as well as Indonesia, Bangladesh, and Thailand—have received formal tariff warnings from Washington.
EU deal in 'coming days'?
Analysts have noted that Asian countries have been a key target so far.
But all eyes are on the state of negotiations with major partners who have yet to receive such letters, including the European Union.
For now, the Trump administration is under pressure to unveil more trade pacts. So far, Washington has only reached agreements with Britain and Vietnam, alongside a deal to temporarily lower tit-for-tat levies with China.
Trump on Tuesday said that his government was 'probably two days off' from sending the EU a letter with an updated tariff rate for the bloc.
'They're very tough, but now they're being very nice to us,' he added at a cabinet meeting.
An EU spokesman said Wednesday that the bloc wants to strike a deal with the United States 'in the coming days,' and has shown readiness to reach an agreement in principle.
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EU diplomats say the European Commission, in charge of trade policy for the 27-country bloc, could continue talks until August 1.
The EU expects Trump to keep a 10 percent baseline tariff on its goods, with exemptions for critical sectors such as airplanes, spirits and cosmetics, diplomats told AFP this week.
Legal challenges to Trump's sweeping tariffs are continuing to work their way through the US court system.
Apart from tariffs targeting goods from different countries, Trump has also rolled out sector-specific duties on steel, aluminum and autos since returning to the White House in January.
On Tuesday, Trump said levies were incoming on copper and pharmaceuticals.
The planned rate for copper is 50 percent, he added, while pharmaceutical products face a levy as high as 200 percent – but manufacturers would be given time to relocate operations.
With inputs from agencies
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