President Donald Trump on Sunday issued a strong warning to countries aligned with the BRICS intergovernmental organization, threatening to impose an additional 10% tariff on any nation supporting what he called the bloc’s “anti-American policies.”
“Any Country aligning themselves with the Anti-American policies of BRICS will be charged an ADDITIONAL 10% Tariff,” Trump declared on Truth Social. “There will be no exceptions to this policy. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
BRICS Pushes Back at Unilateral Tariffs
The statement followed the opening of a two-day BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro, during which the group — now expanded to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, alongside founding members Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa — issued a declaration that indirectly criticized Trump’s trade policies.
According to The New York Times, the BRICS communique expressed “serious concerns” over unilateral tariffs, saying such actions “reduce global trade, disrupt supply chains, and inject uncertainty into international commerce.”
Though not named directly, the statement appeared to reference Trump’s recent decision to unilaterally impose new tariffs on several of America’s trading partners this past April. Trump later paused those tariffs for 90 days, pushing the deadline to July 9 to allow time for bilateral trade negotiations. As of July 7, only two preliminary deals — one with the UK and another with Vietnam — had materialized.
Tariff Threats Not New
Sunday’s Truth Social post is not Trump’s first threat against BRICS. In November 2024, he blasted the bloc’s effort to shift away from the U.S. dollar as the global reserve currency and warned of 100% tariffs if they pursued a new BRICS-backed currency.
“The idea that the BRICS Countries are trying to move away from the Dollar while we stand by and watch is OVER,” Trump wrote at the time.
“We require a commitment that they will neither create a new BRICS Currency, nor support any alternative currency to replace the mighty U.S. Dollar — or they will face 100% Tariffs.”
The threat came shortly after BRICS circulated a Russian-prepared report advocating for a global reassessment of the dollar’s dominance in international finance.
BRICS Condemns U.S. Military Strikes on Iran
Adding further strain to U.S.–BRICS relations, the bloc on Sunday condemned recent U.S. military actions targeting Iranian nuclear sites.
“We condemn the military strikes against the Islamic Republic of Iran since June 13, 2025,” the group said in its joint statement, “which constitute a violation of international law and the Charter of the United Nations, and express grave concern over the subsequent escalation of the security situation in the Middle East.”
Surprisingly, two key BRICS leaders — Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi — were absent from the summit, raising further questions about internal cohesion within the group.
Pezeshkian’s absence came just days after his headline-making interview with conservative commentator Tucker Carlson, who has called for increased scrutiny of the Biden-era policies now being reversed under Trump’s second term.
Trump Doubles Down on U.S. Trade Leverage
Despite the global pushback, Trump remains firm in his stance that aligning with the U.S. is the best path forward for any country wishing to avoid severe tariffs.
“If you want access to the world’s strongest economy, there is a right way to do it,” Trump reportedly told advisors. “And it’s not by joining forces with BRICS to undermine American strength.”
As his administration continues to redefine U.S. foreign and trade policy, Trump’s message is clear: loyalty to America brings opportunity — defiance brings cost.