WASHINGTON: In a significant setback to Indian diplomacy, U.S. President Donald Trump has announced that Indian imports will now face a 25% tariff as part of a broader move to counter what he called India’s ‘obnoxious trade policies.’
According to Kashmir Media Service, Trump made the announcement via his Truth Social platform, stating that an additional, unspecified penalty will be imposed on India starting August 1, though he did not elaborate on the nature or amount of the penalty.
“While India is our friend, we have, over the years, done relatively little business with them because their tariffs are far too high—among the highest in the world—and they have the most strenuous and obnoxious non-monetary trade barriers of any country,” Trump said.
U.S.-India trade relations have long been strained over issues of market access, particularly concerning American agricultural and dairy products. Multiple rounds of trade negotiations between the two countries have failed to fully resolve these disputes.
The newly announced tariffs are expected to hit India’s exports to the U.S., valued at approximately $87 billion in 2024. The White House had earlier criticized India’s high average applied tariffs—around 39% on agricultural goods—with rates reaching as high as 45% on vegetable oils and nearly 50% on apples and corn.
The move is likely to increase tensions between Washington and New Delhi, and may have wide-ranging implications for bilateral trade and geopolitical cooperation.
