Donald Trump fires new tariff salvo! Letters to more countries released; Iraq, Philippines & others to face up to 30% duties – check list
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday issued a fresh set of tariff letters to countries warning them of reciprocal duties from August 1, 2025. Trump had earlier said that he would be issuing tariff letters for seven more countries today. Earlier this week, he had released letters for 14 countries, informing them of the tariff rates that will be imposed on them.The new set of tariffs released by Trump today are for Philippines (20%), Brunei (25%), Moldova (25%), Algeria (30%), Libya (30%), Iraq (30%). “We will be releasing a minimum of 7 Countries having to do with trade, tomorrow morning, with an additional number of Countries being released in the afternoon. Thank you for your attention to this matter!,” Trump had posted on social media platform Truth Social earlier.The letters signal a departure from his self-declared April 2 “Liberation Day” gathering at the White House, where he displayed posterboards showing rates, triggering a temporary market collapse and the 90-day discussion period with initial 10% tariffs. Rather than visual presentations, Trump opted to dispatch formal letters containing irregular capitalisation, unconventional punctuation and formatting inconsistencies.“It’s a better way,” Trump said of his letters. “It’s a more powerful way. And we send them a letter. You read the letter. I think it was well crafted. And, mostly it’s just a little number in there: You’ll pay 25%, 35%. We have some of at 60, 70.”Following Monday’s announcement, official correspondence was dispatched to 14 nations, including Japan, South Korea, and South Africa, outlining substantial import levies ranging from 25 per cent to 40 per cent. Trump has issued letters specifying duties for Japan (25 per cent), South Korea (25 per cent), Myanmar (40 per cent), Laos (40 per cent), South Africa (30 per cent), Kazakhstan (25 per cent), and Malaysia (25 per cent). The letters were also for additional nations such as Tunisia, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Cambodia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Serbia, and Thailand, with duties varying between 25 per cent and 36 per cent.The correspondence accused various governments of maintaining “non-reciprocal” trade practices, with explicit warnings that any reciprocal tariff increases would result in heightened US duties.This extensive tariff initiative, whilst reminiscent of Trump’s previous China trade dispute, is more comprehensive in its geographical scope, affecting almost every region. Whilst the Trump administration presents this as a corrective measure for trade imbalances and US industrial growth, various experts caution about potential disruptions to global supply networks and diplomatic relationships.
