India on Wednesday said it will take “all actions necessary to protect its national interests” in response to US President Donald Trump imposing additional 25 percent tariff on Indian imports, taking the total tariffs on its goods to 50 percent.
An official statement by S. Jaishankar headed Ministry of External Affairs noted that the “United States has in recent days targeted India’s oil imports from Russia” while India made clear its position on these issues, “including the fact that our imports are based on market factors and done with the overall objective of ensuring the energy security of 1.4 billion people of India.”
“It is therefore extremely unfortunate that the US should choose to impose additional tariffs on India for actions that several other countries are also taking in their own national interest,” it said, reiterating “these actions are unfair, unjustified and unreasonable.”
“India will take all actions necessary to protect its national interests,” it added
Trump on Wednesday slapped an additional 25 percent tariff on Indian imports, taking the total tariffs imposed on Indian goods to 50 percent. He signed the executive order imposing the additional tariff barely hours before his initial tariffs on India were set to come into effect on August 7
“I find that the Government of India is currently directly or indirectly importing Russian Federation oil…Accordingly, and as consistent with applicable law, articles of India imported into the customs territory of the United States shall be subject to an additional ad valorem rate of duty of 25 percent,” the order reads.
However, there is a little leeway, a 21-day window before the additional 25 percent strike comes.
“This 25 percent ad valorem duty will be effective for goods entered for consumption, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, on or after 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time 21 days after the date of the order. There are exceptions for goods that were loaded onto a vessel and in transit before this effective date and are entered for consumption or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption before 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time on September 17, 2025,” the order read.
