How vulnerable are UAE, Bahrain to Trump's 25% tariff on aluminum?
The United Arab Emirates is the second biggest exporter of aluminum to the United States after Canada, supplying $1.78 billion of the metal to Washington in 2024.
US President Donald Trump announced plans Sunday evening to impose 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports, which could economically impact major Middle Eastern exporters of the metal such as Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.
Speaking to reporters on Air Force One as he flew from his Florida estate to attend the Super Bowl in New Orleans, Trump said that the tariffs would be announced formally Monday.
Why it matters: According to the Organization of Economic Complexity, the UAE was the world's fourth largest exporter of aluminum in 2022, selling $8.15 billion worth of the metal, with the United States as its top export market followed by Japan, Germany and Italy.
In 2024, the UAE was Washington's second-biggest supplier of aluminum after Canada, exporting $1.78 billion or roughly 14% of the Gulf country’s total aluminum exports, which stood at $12.7 billion, according to the United Nations' COMTRADE database.
