(MENAFN) The United States will enforce 30% tariffs on imports from the European Union and Mexico beginning August 1, President Donald Trump declared on Saturday.

Trump posted on Truth Social letters addressed individually to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, notifying them of the upcoming tariff hike on goods entering the US from their regions.

In both correspondences, Trump issued a stern warning that if either the EU or Mexico responds with retaliatory tariffs, “then, whatever the number you choose to raise them by, will be added on to the 30% that we charge,” he said.

Acknowledging Mexico’s efforts to stem illegal migration and fentanyl trafficking, Trump nonetheless criticized the country for insufficient action against North America’s transformation into a “Narco-Trafficking Playground” in his letter to Sheinbaum.

Addressing the EU, Trump stressed, “We have had years to discuss our Trading Relationship with The European Union, and we have concluded we must move away from these long-term, large, and persistent, Trade Deficits, engendered by your Tariff, and Non-Tariff, Policies, and Trade Barriers.”
He added pointedly, “Our relationship has been, unfortunately, far from Reciprocal.”

This development jeopardizes ongoing US-EU trade negotiations, with the EU having targeted a comprehensive trade agreement for completion this month.

Earlier in the week, Trump announced a fresh set of tariffs targeting countries including Japan, South Korea, Canada, and Brazil, alongside a sweeping 50% tariff on copper imports.

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