Lesotho received a modified tariff rate of 15% on Thursday from US President Donald Trump as the nation continues to reel from high tariffs the administration had threatened to implement earlier this year.
In an executive order, Trump modified reciprocal tariff rates for dozens of countries, including Lesotho, which had been under threat of a 50% rate since April, the highest of any UStrading partner.
The Trump administration defended its tariff rate on the mountain kingdom as reciprocal, stating Lesotho charged 99% tariffs on US goods.
Lesotho officials have said they do not know how the White House arrived at thefigure.
After announcing the barrage of reciprocal tariffs in April, the administration paused implementation to give countries time to negotiate.
Under the tariff threat and uncertainty, many US importers cancelled orders of Lesotho-produced textiles, leading to mass layoffs.
Reuters
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