President Donald Trump on Friday said that technology company Apple could face a 25% tariff on iPhones sold in the United States if they were not manufactured in the country.

In a social media post, Trump said that he had informed Apple’s Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook that he expects iPhone smartphones being sold in the United States to be manufactured in the country and not in “India, or anyplace else”.

“If that is not the case, a tariff of at least 25% must be paid by Apple to the US,” he added.

On May 15, the US president said that he had told Cook not to expand Apple’s production in India. “I said I don’t want you [Apple] building in India,” Trump had said at the time.

The US president had added that he had told Cook: “India can take care of themselves, they are doing very well”.

Trump had also claimed that Apple would be “upping their production” in the US because of his talks with Cook.

This came amid attempts by Apple to diversify its manufacturing beyond China, where it makes most of its iPhones, amid tariff and geopolitical concerns.

The company does not manufacture its smartphones in the US. It plans to source the majority of its US iPhone supply from India by the end of next year to reduce its dependence on China.

Trump’s so-called reciprocal tariffs imposed on several countries, including a 26% “discounted” levy on India, took effect on April 9. Hours later, however, Trump had reduced the rates on imports from most countries to 10% for 90 days to provide time for trade negotiations.

The US president had repeatedly said he intended to impose a reciprocal tax on India, among others, citing high tariffs the countries impose on foreign goods.

The tariffs had led to concerns of a broader trade war that could disrupt the global economy and trigger recession.

On May 15, Trump had also claimed that India had offered not to charge tariffs on products from the US, Bloomberg reported.

“India is one of the highest tariff nations in the world,” Trump had said at the time, reiterating his administration’s position. “It is very hard to sell in India.”

New Delhi has “offered us a deal where basically they are willing to literally charge us no tariff”, he had said.

The Indian government has said that it is in talks with Washington to finalise a bilateral trade agreement between September and November.