India-US Trade Deal Put on Hold as PM Modi Did Not Call Trump, Says US Commerce Secretary
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The much talked about India-US trade deal has not been finalised because Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not call US President Donald Trump, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said.
Explaining the reason behind the stalled agreement, Lutnick said, during negotiations for a bilateral trade agreement between the two countries “I set the deal up. But you had to have Modi call President Trump. They (India) were uncomfortable with it. So Modi didn’t call.” He made the remarks while speaking on a podcast.
BIG BREAKING: India trade deal isn't done because PM Modi did not call Trump, claims US Commerce Secretary Lutnick
— Shashank Mattoo (@MattooShashank) January 9, 2026
"I set the deal up. But you had to have Modi call President Trump. They (India) were uncomfortable with it. So Modi didn't call." pic.twitter.com/gFiUGGaJRl
His statement comes amid growing trade tensions between New Delhi and Washington. The United States has already imposed heavy tariffs on Indian goods, linking the move to India’s continued purchase of Russian crude oil.
Under the Trump administration, the US imposed an additional 25 per cent tariff on Indian imports over India’s Russian oil purchases. This was added to an existing 25 per cent reciprocal tariff, effectively taking the total tariff burden on many Indian exports to around 50 per cent.