US Says 12 Tariff Letters To Be Issued Today, Others To Get In Coming Days

The White House on Monday said that new tariffs will be formally communicated to the leaders of 12 other countries on Monday. “These letters will be revealed in due time,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said.

Leavitt also added that executive orders will also be signed, with tariffs being levied starting Aug. 1. She further added that the updates will be posted on Truth Social as and when the letters go out.

This comes after Trump levied 25% tariff on Japan and South Korea. "It's the President's prerogative and those are the countries he chose," added Leavitt when asked for the reason for picking Japan and South Korea.

During the press conference, she added that countries will have to take Trump's letter seriously and added that world leaders are "begging" Trump to come to a deal.

Shortly after the White House briefing, Trump announced five more countries that will be slapped with high import tariffs by the US. The list includes Malaysia and Kazakhstan, which have been hit with 25% tariffs.

The levies are sharper on South Africa, as its imports to the US will be subjected to 30% levies, according to the tariff letter posted by Trump on his social media account.

Myanmar and Laos have been hit with 40% tariffs. The import levies will come into effect from Aug. 1.

So far, India was not named among the countries against whom tariffs will be levied by the US. The South Asian economy is locked in negotiations with the Trump administration over the past few months to hammer out a bilateral trade pact.