The back-and-forth is an indication of the chaos kicked off after the Supreme Court on Friday struck down tariffs unveiled by Trump last spring under the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).
The court said that law did not authorise the president to impose the tariffs, which are a tax on imports paid by businesses bringing goods into the country.
Trump responded by announcing a new 10% global tariff using a different law, which he quickly raised to 15%. That measure, from which some products are exempt, was set to come into force on Tuesday.
But many countries said they remained uncertain of the status of deals negotiated in the wake of Trump’s initial tariff measures, when many countries sought lower levies on their goods in exchange for promises of investments or other concessions meant to make it easier for American firms to do business abroad.
The UK on Monday said it was pressing US officials for answers about whether its deal – which had set tariffs at 10%, below the 15% rate Trump announced on Saturday – would hold.
“I recognise the uncertainty the latest announcement from the US has created,” UK Business and Trade Secretary Peter Kyle said in a statement, adding that “all options” were on the table as the UK seeks to protect businesses and the public.
Bernd Lange, chair of the European Parliament’s International Trade Committee, said the committee had suspended its approval of the deal the US and EU and approved in July while it sought clarity.
“The situation is now more uncertain than ever,” he said.