NEW YORK — A U.S. trade agency on Tuesday issued a ban on imports of Apple’s iPhone 4 and a variant of the iPad 2 after finding the devices violate a patent held by South Korean rival Samsung Electronics.

Because the devices are assembled in China, the import ban would end Apple’s ability to sell them in the U.S.

However, President Barack Obama has 60 days to invalidate Tuesday’s order from the U.S. International Trade Commission in Washington. Obama is against import bans on the basis of the type of patent at issue in the Samsung case. On Tuesday, the White House issued a recommendation to Congress that it limit the ITC’s ability to impose import bans in these cases.

Apple said it was “disappointed” with the ruling and will appeal.

Samsung and Apple are engaged in a global legal battle over their smartphones, with Apple arguing that Samsung and its Android phones copy vital features of the iPhone. Samsung is fighting back with its own complaints.