The United States has begun enforcing new trade tariffs against India, with a 25 per cent duty on Indian imports taking effect on August 7. This marks the first phase of a broader US effort to reset global trade rules under President Donald Trump, reports news agency ANI.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said, “It’s midnight!!! Billions of dollars in tariffs are now flowing into the United States of America!”
The executive order also included tariff hikes on exports from around 70 countries. Most of the new duties were activated shortly after midnight in New York on August 7, prompting celebratory remarks from Trump on social media, where he emphasised the inflow of tariff revenues.
The second phase, an additional 25 per cent tariff, is scheduled for August 27, bringing the total burden on Indian goods to 50 per cent. The move comes in response to India’s continued purchase of Russian oil, which the US views as undermining its sanctions on Moscow.
Trump’s administration has justified the measures on national security grounds, claiming India’s ‘direct or indirect’ imports of Russian crude oil violate US foreign policy objectives.
The new tariffs are being enforced under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, citing the ongoing national emergency related to Russia. The White House said imports made through intermediaries or countries where Russian oil is re-exported also fall under the new policy.
India has sharply criticised the US action, calling it ‘unfair, unjustified and unreasonable’. The Ministry of External Affairs defended its energy imports as a matter of national interest, especially given India’s large population and limited domestic resources. It also pointed to the continued Russian oil trade by European nations, arguing that New Delhi was being unfairly singled out.
