The rates have been set at 10% and 12.5%

The Trump administration has imposed new tariffs of 10% and 12.5% on imports from 60 trading partners, citing their failure to adequately combat forced labour. This is stated in a White House announcement.

The decision came into force on 24 July, following the expiry of the temporary 10% import duty introduced by US President Donald Trump in February 2026 (the Supreme Court had previously overturned a number of his tariffs).

The new tariffs have been imposed under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974.

The US has now imposed a 10% tariff on goods from Argentina, Bangladesh, the United Kingdom, Cambodia, Canada, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Malaysia, Mexico, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Trinidad and Tobago.

For the European Union, Japan, South Korea and Switzerland, rates were set which, when combined with the existing most-favoured-nation (MFN) rates, amounted to 10% or 12.5%.

The remaining 38 countries were assigned a rate of 12.5%.

The new tariffs include numerous exemptions for a range of goods.

Earlier, US Trade Representative Jamison Greer assured that, for countries with trade agreements with Washington that cap US tariffs, the new tariffs on the use of forced labour would not result in these caps being exceeded, Reuters notes.

Furthermore, he stated that the US had exempted imports of cast iron from Brazil and India from the tariffs imposed under Section 301, reports Argus. Media. Consequently, these Brazilian products are protected from the 12.5% tariff, whilst Indian shipments are exempt from the 10% rate.

It should be recalled that the United States had previously exempted Brazilian pig iron from an additional 25% duty. This decision demonstrates the significant dependence of American steelmakers on imports. The Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) explained that over 95% of domestic production of merchant pig iron in the US is consumed by integrated steelworks. As a result, foundries and manufacturers using electric arc furnaces are in urgent need of foreign supplies.