ISTANBUL

US President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that India will face a 25% tariff, plus additional penalties, starting Aug. 1.

Trump accused New Delhi of unfair trade practices and extensive energy and arms relations with Russia.

"INDIA WILL THEREFORE BE PAYING A TARIFF OF 25%, PLUS A PENALTY FOR THE ABOVE, STARTING ON AUGUST FIRST," he wrote on Truth Social.

Without revealing specifics on the "penalty," Trump criticized India's trade barriers and Russia connections. "India is our friend, we have, over the years, done relatively little business with them because their Tariffs are far too high, among the highest in the World,” he wrote.

US-India trade is substantial, with goods reaching about $129 billion in 2024, and Washington running a $45.7 billion trade deficit, according to the Office of The United States Trade Representative.

He described India as having "the most strenuous and obnoxious non-monetary Trade Barriers of any Country" while highlighting America's trade deficit with the South Asian nation.

"They have always bought a vast majority of their military equipment from Russia, and are Russia’s largest buyer of ENERGY, along with China, at a time when everyone wants Russia to STOP THE KILLING IN UKRAINE," Trump added.

The new tariff comes as part of a broader increase in US tariff actions in 2025 under the Trump administration to pressure trading partners through deadlines and amid threats to be eliminated from US markets.

In a separate post, Trump doubled down on the timeline for "reciprocal" US tariffs on countries around the world.

“THE AUGUST FIRST DEADLINE IS THE AUGUST FIRST DEADLINE ... IT STANDS STRONG, AND WILL NOT BE EXTENDED,” he stressed.

Trump called the deadline "A BIG DAY FOR AMERICA."

The US has set several tariff deadlines during trade tensions with multiple countries in recent months, and in some cases, they have been extended more than once as negotiations have continued.