Trump’s targets for ‘reciprocal’ tariffs include uninhabited islands but exclude Russia and Iran
Posted/updated on: April 3, 2025 at 10:28 pm
(WASHINGTON) -- President Donald Trump's sweeping new set of tariffs impact friend and foe alike, but also on the list are uninhabited islands while some glaring omissions include Russia and Iran.
Trump on Wednesday unveiled "kind reciprocal" tariff rates on certain nations that the administration's deemed the worst offenders in trade with the U.S., in addition to a minimum 10% baseline tariff on all U.S. trading partners.
"If they complain, if you want your tariff rate to be zero, then you build your product right here in America because there is no tariff if you build your plant, your product in America," Trump said as he announced the policy at the White House.
"Likewise, to all of the foreign presidents, prime ministers, kings, queens, ambassadors and everyone else who will soon be calling to ask for exemptions from these tariffs, I say terminate your own tariffs, drop your barriers, don't manipulate your currencies," Trump added.
At the top of the list is China, which will be hit with a whopping 54% tariff rate once the additional levies are put into effect. High levies are also being placed on the European Union, Vietnam, Taiwan, Japan, India and more.
Israel is also a target of "reciprocal" tariffs, despite moving ahead of Trump's announcement to cancel all remaining tariffs on American imports (which there were very few of thanks to the Israel-United Staes Free Trade agreement that has been in place since the 1980s).
Israel, though, still got hit with a 17% rate. The Israeli government is already pushing back on the Trump administration's calculation that Israel somehow charged a 33% tariff to the U.S., with one official calling it "puzzling."
What else is on Trump's list
British Indian Ocean Territory -- The only inhabitants of the United Kingdom territory located in the Indian Ocean are American and British military personnel and contractors stationed at a joint defense facility.
Heard and McDonald Islands -- Australian external territory of mostly barren Antarctic islands; uninhabited with no imports or exports.
Norfolk Island -- This is another Australian external territory, but for some reason the Trump administration has set the reciprocal tariff rate at 29%. That is far above the 10% for Australia and other external territories. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has already expressed confusion over the area's inclusion, as there is very little trade between the U.S. and the tiny island, which has a population around 2,000.
Svalbard and Jan Mayen -- These are remote territories of Norway in the Arctic Ocean. The new tariff rate is just 5% less than it is for greater Norway, though an Mayen also has no permanent population.
Réunion -- The island is considered to be an overseas department and region of France, has similar status to its counterparts in metropolitan France and doesn't have its own bilateral trade agreements. It is generally treated by the U.S. as a part of France but the administration is setting the tariff rate for the island at 37% instead of the European Unions's 20 % rate.
What is notably not included on Trump's list
Russia -- Moscow was omitted from the list and the White House has been claiming this is because sanctions preclude any meaningful trade. This is false. Trade has fallen dramatically between the U.S. and Russia since the onset of the war in Ukraine but last year the U.S. imported around $3 billion in goods from Russia (many times the dollar amount between the U.S. and many of the small island territories that did make the list).
Belarus, Cuba and North Korea -- The White House made the same argument as it did for Russia for why they are not on the list, but in these countries' cases, there is much less trade with the U.S. Although it is still on par or surpasses trade with some of the island territories.
Iran -- There's not a whole lot of trade between the U.S. and Iran because of the many sanctions against the country, but amid the Trump administration's effort to impose "maximum pressure" against the regime, it's notable that Tehran is only getting hit with the baseline 10% tariff.
ABC News' Alexandra Hutzler contributed to this report.
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