Trump Administration Announces Tariffs On 14 Countries; Says Close To Trade Deal With India

The United States imposed fresh tariffs on 14 countries on Tuesday (8 July), while President Donald Trump declared his administration was nearing a trade deal with India, reported NDTV.

Negotiators from both countries are working to finalise a tariff-cutting pact, but disputes over agriculture and dairy remain unresolved.

"We've made a deal with the United Kingdom, we've made a deal with China, we've made a deal - we're close to making a deal with India...Others we met with, we don't think we're going to be able to make a deal. So we just send them a letter," Trump said at the White House.

Following his remarks, the US issued the first of several letters warning higher tariffs for key partners such as Bangladesh, Thailand, South Korea, and Japan starting 1 August.

"We're sending out letters to various countries telling them how much tariffs they have to pay. Some will maybe adjust a little bit depending if they have a cause, we're not going to be unfair about it," Trump added.

Talks over a US-India mini trade deal remain stalled over US demands for access to India’s agricultural and dairy markets, which India has traditionally excluded from trade agreements to protect farmers’ livelihoods and food safety.

India argues that without reciprocal tariff concessions for its labour-intensive exports like garments, footwear, and leather, the plan to double bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030 is unrealistic.

Negotiators are focusing on reducing or removing tariffs mutually, as both sides aim to prioritise overall duty cuts to finalise the agreement.

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