Australia will not impose reciprocal tariffs on the United States, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Wednesday, after President Donald Trump ruled out exemptions or exceptions for all countries on steel and aluminium tariffs.

Australia has failed to secure an exemption from US steel and aluminum tariffs despite a lobbying campaign by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s government, in a blow to relations between the two longtime allies.

Donald Trump's tariffs on Australian steel and aluminium are now in effect. Requests for an exemption have been denied alongside attempts to speak to the US president on the phone. There are now concerns the exemption refusal could be the first step in a series of tariffs potentially targeting Australia's lucrative agricultural sector next.