U.S. trade agreement signing delayed pending U.S. tariff policy implementation

The signing of a proposed trade agreement between India and the United States has been postponed for now, according to India’s commerce secretary Rajesh Agrawal.

Agrawal said the agreement will move forward only after the United States fully implements its new tariff policy. He said the timeline for finalizing the deal is tied to the outcome of tariff changes currently under consideration by U.S. authorities.

According to Agrawal, previously imposed global tariffs that were struck down by a U.S. court must be replaced with new global tariff measures before the trade agreement can be finalized. He said the deal cannot take effect until those new tariffs are formally restored.

The development follows tariff policy discussions linked to former U.S. president Donald Trump, who has called for new global tariffs to replace earlier measures that were rejected by the court.

Indian officials said the government continues to pursue broader trade partnerships with other countries while discussions with the United States remain pending. The government is currently negotiating six additional free trade agreements with partners including Australia, Sri Lanka, Peru, Chile, the Eurasian Economic Union and Israel.