Trump said he had once informed Apple's co-founder Tim Cook that he expects those iPhones which will be sold in the USA should be manufactured in the country and not in India or any other nation.

Trump wrote on Truth Social: "I have long ago informed Tim Cook of Apple that I expect their iPhone’s that will be sold in the United States of America will be manufactured and built in the United States, not India, or anyplace else."

"If that is not the case, a Tariff of at least 25% must be paid by Apple to the U.S. Thank your for your attention to this matter!" he said

This is the latest salvo fired by Trump to Apple in the way it conducts its business.

Trump’s post briefly sent shares of Apple lower by more than 4% in pre-market trading, and tipped stock futures into negative territory, NBC News reported.

It is not clear whether Trump can levy a tariff on an individual company.

Trump Threatened Apple Last Week During Doha Visit

US President Donald Trump had opposed Apple CEO Tim Cook's plans to expand production of the brand's products in India, flagging the tariff issue.

Speaking at a business event in Doha, Trump said, "I said to him, my friend, I am treating you very good. You are coming up with $500 billion, but now I hear you are building all over India. I don't want you building in India. You can build in India, if you want to take care of India because India is one of the highest tariff nations in the world, so it is very hard to sell in India."

"They (India) offered us a deal where basically they have agreed to charge us literally no tariffs. I said Tim, we are treating you really good, we put up with all the plants you built in China for years. We are not interested in you building in India. India can take care of themselves."

Apple's Demand Increases In India Over The Years

Apple, whose products' demands have shot up in India over the years, currently has three plants- two in Tamil Nadu and one in Karnataka- in the South Asian country.

While Foxconn operates one of the three plants, Tata Group controls the rest. Two more plants of the American tech giant are on the way to be built in India.

Cook has aimed at relocating Apple's manufacturing from China, which was hit by Trump's tariff war.

Cook turned towards China's hostile neighbour India amid the Washington-Beijing trade war.