United States President Donald Trump has raised tariffs by 5 percent on imports from Mexico, accusing the country of failing to uphold a cross-border water treaty.The tariff hike was revealed in a social media message late on Monday, as tensions simmer between the two North American neighbours.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list“Mexico continues to violate our comprehensive Water Treaty, and this violation is seriously hurting our BEAUTIFUL TEXAS CROPS AND LIVESTOCK,” Trump wrote on his platform, Truth Social.“Mexico still owes the U.S over 800,000 acre-feet [986.8 million cubic metres] of water for failing to comply with our Treaty over the past five years.”The US president’s message set a demand and a deadline. He called on Mexico to release 200,000 acre-feet of water — equivalent to 246 million cubic metres — by December 31.But the punitive tariffs, Trump added, are set to begin right away.“As of now, Mexico is not responding, and it is very unfair to our U.S. Farmers who deserve this much needed water,” Trump said.“That is why I have authorized documentation to impose a 5% Tariff on Mexico if this water isn’t released, IMMEDIATELY. The longer Mexico takes to release the water, the more our Farmers are hurt.” A long-running drought left parts of the Rio Grande cracked and dry in August 2025 [File: Susan Montoya Bryan/AP Photo]Drought-stricken Mexico strugglesTrump’s demands are part of a long-running dispute over the 1 …
