A step-by-step timeline of negotiations, tariffs and high-level talks that paved the way for the India–US trade agreement.
New Delhi: Below is a timeline tracing the key developments that culminated in the announcement of the India–US trade agreement.
February 13, 2025:
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A joint statement said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump agreed to strengthen the bilateral trade relationship. The leaders set an ambitious target of raising two-way trade to USD 500 billion by 2030, from the existing level of over USD 191 billion. They also announced plans to negotiate the first tranche of a multi-sector Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) by fall 2025.
March 4–6:
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal travelled to Washington DC and held bilateral meetings with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
April 2, 2025:
US President Donald Trump announced an additional import duty of 26 per cent on Indian goods, comprising a 10 per cent baseline tariff and a 16 per cent reciprocal tariff.
April 9, 2025:
The US suspended the 16 per cent reciprocal tariff on Indian goods for 90 days, until July 9, 2025.
April 23–29, 2025:
India’s then chief negotiator Rajesh Agrawal, now Commerce Secretary, visited Washington for the first in-person engagement with US counterparts on the proposed trade pact. Discussions covered the terms of reference across 19 chapters, including tariffs, non-tariff barriers and customs facilitation.
May 17–20, 2025:
Goyal again visited Washington, meeting USTR Greer and Commerce Secretary Lutnick.
June 4–10, 2025:
A US delegation led by Additional US Trade Representative Brendan Lynch visited India for week-long negotiations. Talks focused on market access, digital trade, customs facilitation, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, technical barriers to trade and legal frameworks.
June 26, 2025:
An Indian delegation headed by Agrawal returned to Washington for another round of talks aimed at narrowing differences ahead of the July 9 deadline.
June 27, 2025:
President Trump said the US was heading towards a “very big” trade deal with India.
July 31, 2025:
The US announced a 25 per cent duty on Indian goods, effective from August 7, 2025.
August 6, 2025:
Trump imposed an additional 25 per cent tariff on Indian imports as a penalty for New Delhi’s continued purchase of Russian oil. With limited exemptions, the total tariff burden rose to 50 per cent, effective August 27, 2025.
September 16, 2025:
Officials from the Office of the United States Trade Representative held discussions in India and decided to intensify efforts to finalise the deal.
September 22, 2025:
Goyal visited New York for further trade talks, accompanied by Agrawal.
October 15–17, 2025:
An Indian delegation travelled to Washington for negotiations. By then, six formal rounds of talks had been completed.
December 10, 2025:
A US delegation led by Deputy USTR Rick Switzer visited New Delhi for two days of talks with Rajesh Agrawal.
January 12, 2026:
US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor said both sides were actively working to finalise the trade agreement.
January 31, 2026:
Responding to questions on the progress of the “father of all deals”, Goyal said India was working to close the agreement “quickly”, adding that negotiations were proceeding well.
February 2, 2026:
India and the US reached an agreement under which Washington will reduce the reciprocal tariff on Indian goods to 18 per cent from the prevailing 25 per cent, President Trump said after a phone conversation with Prime Minister Modi.
Brief background of India–US trade negotiations
During Trump’s first term as US president between 2017 and 2021, India and the US had explored a limited trade agreement, but talks collapsed over differences related to agriculture, digital taxation and tariffs, despite multiple rounds of negotiations between July 2018 and September 2019.
Under the Biden administration, from January 2021 to January 2025, there was no push towards negotiating a comprehensive free trade agreement.
PTI
Published: 03 Feb 2026, 02:47 pm IST
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