President Donald Trump has unveiled another round of country-specific tariffs, issuing new import duties for a group of trading partners after the end of a 90-day negotiating period.
Al Jazeera reported that the White House sent letters to more than 20 countries during the week, and that Wednesday’s batch covered eight named economies: Brazil, Sri Lanka, Algeria, Brunei, Iraq, Libya, Moldova and the Philippines. Under the plan, Algeria, Sri Lanka and Iraq face 30% tariffs, Brunei, Libya and Moldova 25%, and the Philippines 20%. Brazil was assigned the highest rate in the group at 50%.
The report said Trump posted the letters on Truth Social after the negotiating period expired, with the administration giving countries more time to strike deals before an August 1 deadline. He also said there would be no extensions for those receiving letters.
Trump’s justification, according to the report, included allegations of “grave injustices” in Brazil, including censorship and attacks on “free elections.” The story also noted his previous support for former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro. That matters because it shows the tariffs are being used not just as an economic tool but as part of a wider political confrontation.
The duties are significant even if the direct trade flows are relatively small in the context of the U.S. economy. The Census Bureau figures cited in the report showed the U.S. recorded goods trade imbalances of $2.6 billion with Sri Lanka, $1.4 billion with Algeria, $5.9 billion with Iraq, $900 million with Libya, $4.9 billion with the Philippines, $111 million with Brunei and $85 million with Moldova. The report described those amounts as a rounding error in a $30 trillion economy.
Brazil is different because the U.S. actually runs a trade surplus with it, but Trump still set a 50% rate. That underscores how the new tariff regime is being shaped as much by politics and leverage as by simple trade deficits.
The report also placed the move in a larger sequence of tariff escalation. Trump had already threatened Japan and South Korea with 25% tariffs earlier in the week, and over the weekend the administration began sending letters telling countries that tariffs previously postponed in April would be reimposed.
Markets were calm at the time of the report, but the economic backdrop remained uncertain. The story pointed to weak jobs growth in tariff-sensitive sectors and a 0.5% contraction in U.S. GDP in the first quarter. It also said the administration had so far produced only two trade agreements, with the U.K. and Vietnam.
The latest tariff letters therefore extend a pattern rather than mark an isolated move. They widen the list of countries facing duties, sharpen the deadlines and keep the global trading system under persistent pressure.
