India and the US have deferred trade talks which were set to take place this week as they “study the implications” of the US Supreme Court striking down the Donald Trump administration’s global tariffs, an Indian commerce ministry official told the BBC.
An Indian delegation was due to travel to Washington this week to finalise the terms of an interim trade deal which was announced earlier this month.
The agreement reduced US tariffs on Indian goods from 50% to 18%, even though several aspects of it remained unclear.
The Supreme Court ruling has led to new uncertainties as Trump said he would impose global tariffs of 15% on all goods coming into the US.
It’s not clear yet what the court ruling and the new tariffs mean for existing trade deals between the US and other countries.
The new developments come after a chaotic few months for Indian exporters who have been grappling with 50% tariffs imposed by Trump, which came into effect on 27 August. The duties included a penalty for buying Russian oil, which Trump had long criticised.
By Anthony Solly
