On 30 July 2025, US President Donald Trump delivered a devastating blow to one of America’s most critical strategic partnerships. In a Truth Social post that sent shockwaves through New Delhi, Trump announced a punitive 25 per cent tariff on all Indian imports, coupled with unspecified penalties targeting India’s energy and defence trade with Russia.

The move marks the highest tariff rate imposed on any Asian nation, significantly exceeding the levies on Vietnam (20 per cent) and Indonesia (19 per cent). However, tariffs on India also point to a deepening distrust among American allies in Asia and, as a result, undermine strategic multilateral partnerships — prime among them, the Quad. The imposition of tariffs constitutes a fundamental betrayal of the strategic trust that underpins the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue.

The timing of the announcement could hardly be more damaging. India had been among the first nations to engage Washington in trade negotiations when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the White House earlier this year. Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal had expressed optimism just days earlier about concluding a “consequential partnership".

But Trump’s decision to impose the harshest Asian tariff regime on India — despite months of active negotiations and India’s role as a cornerstone of America’s Indo-Pacific strategy — reveals the transactional brutality that now characterises US alliance management.

India’s Measured Defiance

India’s response to Trump’s ultimatum reflects both diplomatic restraint and steel. “The Government will take all steps necessary to secure our national interest," the statement declared, whilst reaffirming India’s commitment to “protecting and promoting the welfare of our farmers, entrepreneurs, and MSMEs".

By explicitly prioritising national interests, as the government should, over American pressure, India has shown its unwillingness to open up core economic sectors, particularly agriculture and dairy. Piyush Goyal underlined in his response today that even when negotiations resume, even in the face of 25 per cent tariffs, when faced with American bullying — even if it comes in the form of Trump — India will negotiate from a position of strength and will not........

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