Jordan locks in zero-tariff US access for 60% of its exports as Amman shops for more trade partners

More than 60% of Jordanian goods heading to the US will get zero-tariff treatment under an understanding reached with Washington, with the remainder facing an additional 10% duty, Jordan Times quotes Industry, Trade and Supply Minister Yarub Qudah as saying. Apparel and garments — Jordan’s largest manufactured export to the US — retained full exemption, alongside pharma, fertilizers, and phosphate.

The arrangement doesn’t change the existing 2001 freetrade agreement (FTA) with the US, but rather affirms its framework, Qudah said. The announcement suggests a smaller scope to the tariffs the Trump administration imposed on Jordan as part of its tariff campaigns.

REMEMBER- Trump first blasted Jordan with an add-on 20% tariff rate in April last year, before reducing it to 10% this summer. Jordan was the first Arab country to sign an FTA with the US in October 2000 — an agreement that entered into force in 2001 and eliminated duties on nearly all products by 2010. Two-way goods trade reached USD 5.3 bn in 2025, with US imports from Jordan standing at USD 3.1 bn against USD 2.2 bn in exports the other way.

The clarification comes as Jordanian exports are running hot. Total exports grew more than 14% y-o-y in 1H 2026, Qudah said, coming on top of an 11.5% full-year gain in 2025. The surge was accompanied by a re-export windfall due to regional shipping disruptions: Re-exports jumped 44%. And Jordan’s main port’s container throughput was up more than 5% y-o-y through September. What’s next? Increasing trading optionality. Qudah said two preferential trade agreements are expected to be signed before year-end: One with Rwanda targeting East and Central Africa, another with Uzbekistan opening a Central Asian corridor. Talks with the Eurasian Economic Union on a preferential arrangement are also underway.