After a Turkish court freed American pastor Andrew Brunson on Friday after spending nearly two years in jail and more time under house arrest on charges related to terrorism and espionage, SteelOrbis reached out to the US Department of Commerce to ask how the development would affect the 50 percent Section 232 tariff on steel and aluminum imports from Turkey.
A DOC spokesperson told SteelOrbis the increase in tariffs was unrelated to the issues and activities involving Brunson as well as any sanctions directed at Turkey, despite multiple media reports that directly attribute the tariff hike to Brunson’s continued imprisonment.
Following a breakdown in negotiations for Brunson’s release in August, the Trump administration doubled Turkey’s Section 232 tariff level from 25 percent to 50 percent. According to a report Friday in Business Insider, two senior US administration officials said the US would “ease economic pressure on Turkey” as part of Brunson’s release agreement, although specific measures were not mentioned, including steel and aluminum tariffs.
When asked a follow-up question to clarify whether media reports inaccurately attributed the tariff increase to diplomatic tensions surrounding Brunson’s release, the DOC spokesperson declined to reply.