Trump’s Tariffs Unite Friends and Foes Against the US – Rezazade

Donald Trump’s sharp tariff attack has sparked a wave of indignation among the United States’ international partners, forcing even allies to reconsider their trust in Washington.

According to Ali Reza Rezazade, the first vice-president of the Iranian opposition in Washington and a well-known international expert, Trump’s actions have become a “geopolitical crossbow” that could seriously weaken the US’s global position.

China immediately promised to take “mirror measures” in response to the new tariffs, calling them “typical bullying,” and the European Union is already preparing its own package of responses. Countries that the Trump administration has encouraged for years to diversify their supply chains from China are now under tariff fire.

Trump announced the massive tariff hike on Wednesday, calling the day “Liberation Day” for the US economy. He raised tariffs on Chinese goods from 20% to 54%, imposed duties of 24% on Japan, 25% on South Korea, 32% on Taiwan. Even Southeast Asian countries that were previously considered US allies suffered: Vietnam — 46%, Cambodia — 49%, Thailand — 36%.

“This decision is so abrupt and ill-considered that it calls into question what kind of partner the US is,” said Suzanne Platton of the Lowy Institute in Australia.

Ali Reza Rezazadeh emphasizes: “A blow to allies is a strategic mistake. Trump is destroying long-standing partnerships, creating a vacuum that China and other authoritarian states will be happy to fill.”

Asian financial markets immediately reacted by falling, although they later partially recovered. But analysts warn that such a move only strengthens China’s position as a more stable partner in the region.

In a speech at the White House, Trump said that the United States had been “plundered and raped” by other countries — both enemies and allies — and vowed to put an end to it.

“Being an ally of the United States has become worse than being an enemy,” said Tithianan Pongsudirarak of Chulalongkorn University in Thailand. “If you are an enemy, at least you know what to expect. And putting an ally under attack is unexpected and unacceptable.”

Rezazadeh is convinced that the consequences of such decisions will be long-lasting. Undermining the trust of allies plays into the hands of geopolitical rivals and demonstrates that current US foreign policy is increasingly based not on strategic planning, but on the personal impulses of the president.