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The US did not accept India’s request for consultations under an agreement of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) concerning American tariffs on steel, aluminium, and related derivative products, Parliament was informed .
The US has maintained that these measures were introduced on the grounds of national security, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jitin Prasada said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.
According to PTI India, however, considers these measures to be safeguard actions that should have been notified and subjected to consultations under the WTO’s Agreement on Safeguards (AoS).
“India has accordingly reserved its right to suspend substantially equivalent concessions (right to impose equal trade measures in response) due to the US’s non-compliance with its obligations under the AoS,” he said.
In a separate reply, the minister said India is actively involved in the discussions with the US on the Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) with the aim to expand trade and investment.
India-US bilateral trade agreement negotiations were launched in March 2025. Five rounds of negotiations have been held, the last being from July 14-18th, 2025, at Washington, USA.
