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European Union officials have said they will respond "firmly" if US President Donald Trump presses ahead with his plan for steep global duties on metals.
EU trade chiefs are considering slapping 25% tariffs on around $3.5bn (£2.5bn) of imports from the US, Reuters news agency reports.
World Trade Organization Director General Roberto Azevedo said: "A trade war is in no one's interests."
The rhetoric ramped up as Mr Trump tweeted that "trade wars are good".
International condemnation has greeted the US president's Thursday announcement that he plans to impose a 25% tariff on steel imports and 10% on aluminium next week.
What are EU officials saying?
The European Union is reported to be considering retaliatory tariffs, targeting US steel, agriculture and other products.
European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker promised to react firmly.
"We will not sit idly while our industry is hit with unfair measures that put thousands of European jobs at risk," he said.
Speaking to a German TV programme, he vowed: "We will put tariffs on Harley-Davidson, on bourbon and on blue jeans - Levi's."
French economy minister Bruno Le Maire said there would "only be losers" in a US-EU trade war.
Mr Le Maire vowed a "strong, co-ordinated and united response from the EU".
(BBC)
