BRICS SLAMS TRUMP TARIFFS

UNITED States president Donald Trump has hit back at South Africa and its BRICS allies.  

BRICS leaders at a summit on Sunday took aim at US President Donald Trump's "indiscriminate" import tariffs and recent Israeli-US strikes on Iran.

Voicing "serious concerns about the rise of unilateral tariff" measures, BRICS members said the tariffs risked hurting the global economy, according to a summit joint statement.

The 11 emerging nations - including Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - account for about half the world's population and 40 percent of global economic output.

The bloc is divided about much, but found common cause when it comes to the US leader and his stop-start tariff wars, even if it avoided naming him directly.

But Trump fired back at the bloc directly on social media Sunday night.

He wrote on his Truth Social platform: "Any country aligning themselves with the Anti-American policies of BRICS will be charged an ADDITIONAL 10% Tariff. There will be no exceptions to this policy."

Earlier, BRICS also offered symbolic backing to fellow member Iran, condemning a series of military strikes on nuclear and other targets carried out by Israel and the United States.

In April, Trump threatened allies and rivals alike with a slew of punitive duties, before offering a months-long reprieve in the face of a fierce market sell-off.

Trump has warned he will impose unilateral levies on partners unless they reach "deals" by the beginning of next month.

In an apparent concession to US allies such as Brazil, India and Saudi Arabia, the summit declaration did not criticise the United States or its president by name at any point.

Conceived two decades ago as a forum for fast-growing economies, the BRICS have come to be seen as a Chinese-driven counterbalance to US and western European power.

But as the group has expanded to include Iran, Saudi Arabia and others, it has struggled to reach meaningful consensus on issues from the Gaza war to challenging US global dominance.