US court blocks Trump tariffs; India deal on

If no quick relief, Trump admin may move Supreme Court

- ASIT RANJAN MISHRA

India's ongoing negotiations with the United States (US) over a bilateral trade agreement (BTA) will not be affected, even as the Manhattan-based Court of International Trade blocked the Donald Trump administration's "Liberation Day" reciprocal tariffs on trading partners, along with a host of other levies unleashed since January.

The Trump administration, on the other hand, has said that it would ask the US Supreme Court to intervene by Friday if a federal appeals court doesn't immediately put on hold the decision that found most of tariffs announced by the president "illegal".

Speaking at the CII Annual Business Summit here on Thursday, Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal stressed that the deal with Washington remains "well on track".

"India never interferes in internal matters of other countries. They will take decisions on their domestic issues," he said. "I am confident that in the coming days India will be able to conclude mutually beneficial trade deals with the US and other countries." He declined to say whether an agreement with the US could be concluded by July 8.