INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
President Donald Trump said Washington will start sending letters to countries on Friday specifying what tariff rates they will face on
imports to the United States, a clear shift from earlier pledges to strike scores of individual deals.Acknowledging the complexity of
negotiating with over 170 nations, Trump told reporters before departing for Iowa on Thursday that the letters will be sent to 10 countries
tariffs to non-tariff barriers such as bans on agricultural imports.Top Trump aides said in April they would work on 90 deals in 90 days, an
ambitious goal that was met with skepticism from trade experts familiar with arduous and time-consuming trade deals of the past.Treasury
Secretary Scott Bessent told Bloomberg Television that about 100 countries are likely to see a reciprocal tariff rate of 10% and predicted a
would be fewer than originally envisioned by the Trump administration.Its original reciprocal tariff list showed 123 jurisdictions that
Islands.Trump sent markets into a tailspin on April 2 with sweeping reciprocal tariff rates ranging from 10% to 50%, although he temporarily
reduced the tariff rate for most countries to 10% to allow time for negotiations through July 9.Many countries with an initial 10% duty rate
have not had any negotiations with the Trump administration, with the exception of Britain, which reached a deal in May to keep a 10% rate
and won preferential treatment for some sectors including autos and aircraft engines.Major trading partners now involved in negotiations
were hit with much higher tariff rates, including 20% for the European Union, 26% for India and 24% for Japan
Other countries that have not engaged in trade talks with the Trump administration face even higher reciprocal tariffs, including 50% for
the tiny mountain kingdom of Lesotho, 47% for Madagascar and 36% for Thailand.Trump on Wednesday announced an agreement with Vietnam that he
tariffs on many Vietnamese goods to 20% from his previously threatened 46%
