REUTERS, New York

A US trade court dealt another blow to President Donald Trump’s tariff strategy, ruling that his latest 10 percent temporary global duties are unjustified under a 1970s trade law, but blocked the levies only for two private importers and the State of Washington.

The US Court of International Trade’s 2-1 decision leaves the temporary tariffs in place for all other importers while any appeal by the Trump administration plays out. They are expected to expire in July.

The court ruled that Trump’s imposition of the tariffs under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 was misguided. One of the judges said it was premature to grant victory to the plaintiffs.

While the ruling applies to a set of levies due to expire in about two months, it marks another major setback for Trump’s global tariff ambitions and comes a week before he is due to discuss trade tensions with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing.