India has debunked, firmly and yet again, any link between tariffs imposed by the United States and discussions with that country over the May 10 cessation of hostilities with Pakistan, after 100 hours of military conflict that involved drones and missiles fired by Islamabad and precision air strikes by Delhi.
Responding to claims by the US government in a New York court - that Trump's tariffs are keeping the peace, Delhi acknowledged talks with the US during Operation Sindoor - India's military response to the Pahalgam terror attack - but said very clearly Trump's tariffs were not part of those conversations.
"From the time Operation Sindoor commenced on May 7 till the time of cessation on May 10, there was conversation between India and the US... (but) the issue of tariffs never came up in these discussions," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said Thursday in a scheduled press briefing.
The clarification follows an outrageous claim by US President Donald Trump in an American court - that his contentious tariffs were key in persuading India and Pakistan to stand down after Op Sindoor.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and State Secretary Marco Rubio told the court Trump has been threatening foreign nations, including key trading partners, with high import duties to "fix" global issues; the examples given were the ceasefire and forcing China to lower tariffs on American exports.
Lutnick and Rubio had argued that India and Pakistan - nuclear powers, as the US has frequently warned - could resume military conflict if Trump were to be ordered to roll back his tariffs.
They claimed Delhi and Islamabad had only agreed to the ceasefire after being 'tempted' by the promise of increased trade with Washington, D.C. "An adverse ruling...could lead India and Pakistan to question the validity of President Trump's offer (and threaten) the lives of millions," Lutnick told the court.
That argument was rejected by the court and Trump's 'Liberation Day' tariffs were blocked.
India has had to repeatedly deny claims by the US that Trump played a key role in facilitating the India-Pakistan ceasefire. In fact, within a week of cessation of hostilities, he claimed credit no less than five times, including once declaring he had 'disciplined' India and Pak by threatening to withhold trade.
READ | "Fellas, Come On...": Trump's Many Claims About India-Pak Ceasefire
India even put out a six-point statement shooting down the US' claims of having brokered the ceasefire and Trump's offer of 'mediation' to find a solution to the Kashmir border issue.
Trump's claim that he might increase trade 'substantially' with India on condition of a ceasefire was also denied; Mr Jaiswal then too had said there was "no discussion on trade with US during Op Sindoor".
Delhi and Islamabad spoke directly to negotiate the cessation of hostilities, he said.
India and the US are believed to be in the final stages of a bilateral trade deal expected to boost exchanges to over $500 billion by 2030, but this agreement is far from being completed.
Delhi has sought full exemption from the 26 per cent tariff Trump had announced on Indian goods exported to the US. That 26 per cent has been paused till July 9 while the two sides work out a deal.
Trump's baseline 10 per cent tariff, however, remains active.
Earlier in May External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar called the trade deal 'complicated' and said "nothing is decided till everything is..." He said, "Any trade deal has to be mutually beneficial; it has to work for both countries. That would be our expectation... Until then judgement will be premature."
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