Donald Trump issues tariff letters to six more countries

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday escalated his trade offensive by issuing fresh tariff notices to seven additional countries - Algeria, Brunei, Iraq, Libya, Moldova, and the Philippines - as part of what he described as a sweeping effort to address "unfair trade imbalances".

The new tariff directives, communicated via official letters to foreign leaders and shared on Trump's Truth Social platform, outline duty hikes of 30 per cent on Algeria, Iraq, Libya and Sri Lanka; 25 per cent on Brunei and Moldova; and 20 per cent on the Philippines. The tariffs will take effect starting August 1.

The announcement follows a similar move on Monday, when Trump imposed a 25 per cent tariff on all imports from South Korea and Japan. Describing the decision as overdue, Trump argued that the imposed rate was "far less" than what he believed necessary to bridge the United States' persistent trade deficits with both East Asian nations.

In quick succession, Trump broadened the scope of the tariffs to twelve more countries, including Myanmar, Laos, South Africa, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Tunisia, Indonesia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bangladesh, Serbia, Cambodia, and Thailand.

In each case, the Republican framed the measures as



necessary to rectify what he called years of "Tariff, and Non-Tariff, Policies and Trade Barriers" that had contributed to "unsustainable trade deficits" against the United States.

"Please understand that these Tariffs are necessary to correct the many years of Tariff, and Non-Tariff, Policies and Trade Barriers, causing these unsustainable Trade Deficits against the United States. This Deficit is a major threat to our Economy and, indeed, our National Security!" Trump stated in the letters.

While stressing that the US remained open to trade, Trump made clear that it had to be "fair and balanced". He also offered an olive branch to international manufacturers, assuring that companies willing to relocate their production facilities to US soil would be exempt from the new tariffs.

In a warning to the newly targeted nations, Trump said any retaliatory measures would trigger further tariff hikes by Washington, signalling a combative stance likely to spark tensions across multiple continents.

The expansion of the tariff regime comes amid Trump's continued focus on trade imbalances as a core plank of his economic agenda, setting the stage for global trade friction ahead of the August 1 implementation date.