Pakistan, July 14 -- EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said Sunday Brussels will keep holding off on hitting back at US steel and aluminium tariffs, as it seeks a deal to ward off broader 30-percent levies.

US President Donald Trump on Saturday threw months of painstaking negotiations into disarray by announcing he would hammer the 27-nation bloc with sweeping 30-percent tariffs if no agreement is reached by August 1.

"The United States has sent us a letter with measures that would come into effect unless there is a negotiated solution, so we will therefore also extend the suspension of our countermeasures until early August," von der Leyen told journalists.

"At the same time, we will continue to prepare for the countermeasures so we're fu...