India-US trade deal will be signed only after new tariff structure is in place: Govt

The trade deal between India and US will be signed only after the new architecture of the tariffs is in place, said Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal during a trade data briefing. He said that the deal will be finalised once Washington restores global tariff rates. Last month the US Supreme Court had struck down the reciprocal tariffs announced by Trump on trading allies. 

Agrawal said the two sides are now talking on the details. 

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump declared on Sunday that he has the authority to impose new tariffs despite the court ruling. Trump said on his Truth Social platform, "I have the absolute right to charge TARIFFS in another form, and have already started to do so."

Following the Supreme Court's decision, Trump imposed a 10 per cent tariff on US imports through an executive order. Washington also launched new trade investigations last week into 60 economies, including India, China, the EU, and Japan.

The investigations will examine "failures to take action on forced labour" and assess whether these countries impose burdens or restrictions on US commerce. The probes aim to address long-standing concerns about trade practices and alleged unfair labour standards in partner economies.

China's commerce ministry criticised the latest US investigations as "extremely unilateral, arbitrary and discriminatory," accusing Washington of "attempting to construct trade barriers."

In a separate post, Trump criticised the Supreme Court, saying the Court "knew where I stood, how badly I wanted this Victory for our Country, and instead decided to, potentially, give away Trillions of Dollars to Countries and Companies who have been taking advantage of the United States for decades."

(With agency inputs)