Trump will impose an additional 10% tariff on countries that "align" with the BRICS.

US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose an additional 10% tariff on any country that aligns with what he has described as the "anti-American policies" of the BRICS, whose leaders, meeting this Sunday in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, condemned the sanctions and tariffs used as a political tool. "Any country that aligns with the anti-American policies of the BRICS will be subject to an additional 10% tariff. There will be no exceptions to this policy," he stated on his Truth Social account.

The tenant has spread this message after the leaders of most emerging economies, including Brazil, China, India, Russia, and South Africa, expressed in a joint statement their "deep concern" over the increase in tariffs and other unilateral measures that contradict the guiding principles of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and "distort trade," giving rise to trade wars that could "plunge the global economy into recession or further prolong weak growth."

In addition to the tariff policy, the BRICS have criticized "the imposition of unilateral coercive measures contrary to international law" for their "negative implications." None of the group's members "impose or support sanctions not authorized by the UN Security Council," they added in their statement.

The US president has previously threatened to impose 100 percent tariffs on the BRICS countries if they abandon the dollar as a benchmark for international trade, a move they did not agree to in Rio.

Shortly before his threat, Trump announced on the same social network that he will send "tariff" letters to several countries starting this Monday, July 7, just 48 hours before the end of the 90-day extension of so-called "reciprocal" tariffs established by his administration before reaching trade agreements.

"I am pleased to announce that the United States tariff letters and/or agreements with several countries around the world will be delivered starting at 12:00 p.m. (local time, 6:00 p.m. Spanish peninsular time) on Monday, July 7," he said, hours after telling reporters that "I believe most countries will have reached an agreement by July 9."

"We've also made deals, so we're going to have a mix of cards, and some deals have been made," he added in statements reported by the Bloomberg news agency.

For his part, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick confirmed that the country-by-country tariffs will take effect on August 1, in what appeared to be a respite for the United States' trading partners. "The tariffs go into effect on August 1, but the president is setting the rates and agreements right now," he said in Trump's presence.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated this Sunday in an interview with CNN that "the next 72 hours are going to be hectic." "In the letters, we will tell (the countries) that if you don't accelerate the situation, on August 1st you will return to your April 2nd tariff level," he added.

Bessent indicated that August 1st "is not a new deadline," but he also didn't address exactly what will happen on the 9th. "August 1st is when it's going to start happening (the restoration of tariffs). And if they want to speed things up, great. And if they want to return to the original tariff (from April), it's up to you," he explained.