‘Got firebombed…’: Peter Navarro says he faced the ire of Indians online after his remarks on tariffs, Russian oil

US presidential counsellor Peter Navarro, who in the past had called India ‘maharajah of tariffs’, said he was “firebombed” on social media by Indian users.

"I got actually firebombed by the Indian continent on the internet with all sorts of nasty little attacks. All I would say to you, don't do that. That's not how we resolve problems here in America," he told reporters.

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Navarro spoke about the op-ed he had written for Financial Times that, which he said, “absolutely, factually, correctly, pointed out that prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, India was not involved in the oil trade with Russia”. He said India heavily got involved in that and was selling a “lot of refined products on behalf of Russia”, which he said fueled the war – a claim that Trump and all his officials made repeatedly.

Navarro said the issue has since been resolved but not without being attacked online by Indian users.

Navarro also sought to ease concerns over the impact of a proposed US sanctions bill on India-US ties, saying President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have a "very good working relationship" and would address the issue between themselves. These remarks came in response to a question by news agency ANI about the Lindsey Graham bill, which could give Trump the authority to impose tariffs of up to 100 per cent on goods from countries that continue buying Russian oil and gas.

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Navarro said, "The President (Donald Trump) and your Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) have a very good working relationship. They are going to work that out amongst themselves, and it's not for me or any gaggle to get between that."

The proposed tariffs have become a sensitive issue because India remains one of the world's major buyers of Russian crude. On August 7, the US Senate passed a bipartisan bill that could authorise the US President to impose tariffs of up to 100 per cent on goods from countries that continue importing Russian oil and gas. The Senate approved the Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 by a vote of 86-11.

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The legislation is aimed at increasing economic pressure on Russia and Iran and also seeks to target countries that maintain major energy trade with Moscow. Under the proposed bill, the US President would have discretionary authority to impose tariffs of up to 100 per cent on imports from the world's five largest buyers of Russian crude oil or natural gas. India and China are among the biggest buyers of Russian crude.