US trade has faced pressure in the Middle Eastern market on Trump’s tariffs due to recent conflict
US sawmills say Trump’s plans for tariffs on timber imports scares foreign buyers. Sawmills that ship heavily to overseas markets struggle to make pre-duty profits.
SOUTH PITTSBURGH, Tennessee – Some US manufacturers have raised concerns that conflicts in the Middle East could dry out business in the region.
Recent missile attacks and violations of the Israeli-Iran ceasefire agreement have led world trade to wary as the Baltic Sea and the International Maritime Council could face chaos in the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf.
“Before the US attacks, the impact on transport patterns was limited. It shows that the number of ships passing after the US attacks is now decreasing. As Iranian attacks on transport begins to see it, it will further reduce the number of ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.”
According to Bimco, about a third of the seaborn crude and 15% of sophisticated petroleum products pass through the Hormuz Strait.
The owner of a US sawmill says his business is struggling to make pre-tax profits as President Trump contemplates future tariffs on lumber imports. (Fox News/Fox News)
Mike Cardin, chief manager of Cardin Forest Products, said the conflict could also damage the U.S. timber industry. Cardin sawmills reported fewer orders coming out of the Middle East.
“If it continues to escalate, the next order will not come.
China’s reaction to Iranian conflict If westerns lose, retaliation to beat Tehran’s allies
About uncertainty President Trump’s future tariff policy Cardin forced him to change the way his sawmill works. Before Trump took office, Cardin said his sawmill had shipped timber products all over the world. He said foreign buyers have actively stopped purchasing American timber as they hope Trump will slap new tariffs on wood imports by the end of the year. Most of Cardin’s sales now come from Mexico and the US
“It’s a bit painful right now. So we’re full now, the warehouse is full,” Cardin said.
Trump administration They hope for an investigation conducted by November to determine whether excessive reliance on imported wood poses a threat to national security. Until the results of the investigation come out, Trump will decide whether he will place higher tariffs on wood coming from other countries.
Foreign operations at U.S. lumber mills will be slowed to order an investigation by November and determine whether timber imports are a threat to national security. Trump will decide if the results of the investigation are pending (Fox News/Fox News)
“If there are some constants, people buy. You can adjust the pricing. No one knows what’s going to happen right now. So that export market is pretty much shut down. At least we’re putting that on hold.”
According to the US International Trade Commission, China imported the most US wood More than any other country in 2024. However, the National Hardwood Association reported that China had stopped purchasing large quantities of US hardwood plants in 2017. Cardin said some of his transports were spinning during the exit.
China was the number one buyer of US-made wood in 2024, according to the US International Trade Commission. This is despite a long-standing sharp decline in sales reported by the National Hardwoods Association. (Fox News/Fox News)
“You’re just actually losing the material. We’ve lost some on such water before,” Cardin said. “They just stop buying, and when they stop, they just turn them around.”
Inflation has caused headaches in U.S. sawmills. According to the product price index, timber products are 30% higher than before the pandemic.