Trump issues tariff letters to six countries, imposing up to 30% duties

  • July 9, 2025

Investing.com -- U.S. President Donald Trump issued tariff letters to six countries on Wednesday, announcing new duties ranging from 20% to 30% on imports from these nations.

The countries receiving the tariff notifications are Algeria, Brunei, Iraq, Libya, Moldova, and the Philippines. The specific tariff rates are 30% for Algeria, Iraq, and Libya, 25% for Brunei and Moldova, and 20% for the Philippines.

In one example letter addressed to Libyan Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dabaiba, Trump stated the tariffs would take effect on August 1, 2025. The president cited "unsustainable Trade Deficits" as the primary reason for implementing these measures.

"Starting on August 1, 2025, we will charge Libya a Tariff of only 30% on any and all Libyan products sent into the United States, separate from all Sectoral Tariffs," Trump wrote in the letter to the Libyan leader.

The president noted that companies from these countries could avoid tariffs by manufacturing within the United States, promising expedited approvals for such arrangements "in a matter of weeks."

Trump also included a reciprocity clause, warning that if these countries raise their own tariffs in response, the U.S. would add equivalent increases to the announced rates.

The letters indicated that the tariffs could be adjusted "upward or downward" depending on the U.S. relationship with each country and their willingness to eliminate their own trade barriers.

Similar letters were written yesterday to countries including Japan and South Korea.

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