Global postal services suspend deliveries to America amid tariff dispute

Washington (Web Desk): Following the imposition of new tariffs by the United States, the delivery of mail and parcels sent to the US has dropped by more than 80 percent. Additionally, 88 postal service providers worldwide have suspended their services to the US either partially or completely.

Masahiko Metoki, Director General of the Universal Postal Union (UPU), a UN agency responsible for international mail cooperation, stated that the organization is working on a new technical solution aimed at restoring mail delivery to the US.

The US administration announced in late July that the duty exemptions on small parcels entering the US would be removed starting August 29.

In response, several countries including Australia, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, India, Italy, and Japan declared that they would no longer accept most parcels destined for the US.

According to UPU data, mail shipments to the US on August 29 were 81 percent lower compared to the previous week.

So far, 88 postal operators have informed the UPU that they have temporarily suspended all or some of their mail services to the US until a permanent solution is found. These operators include Germany’s Deutsche Post, the UK’s Royal Mail, and two operators from Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The UPU headquarters is located in Bern, Switzerland. Established in 1874, it has 192 member countries and sets international regulations for mail exchange while offering recommendations to improve postal services.

On August 27, 25 countries had already suspended parcel delivery services to the US, including major nations such as China, the UK, Japan, Austria, New Zealand, India, France, Russia, and Pakistan.

Pakistan is among the countries that have temporarily halted mail and parcel deliveries to the US following the increase in US tariffs.