US to track Indian oil imports, redo tariff if Russia link found, analyst flags Trump’s ‘coercive’ plan| India News
Donald Trump’s order by which he removed 25% penal tariffs on India, also says that the US commerce secretary should track if it “resumes” such oil imports. This “monitoring mandate” is the “real sting” in Trump’s executive order, strategic affairs expert Brahma Chellaney has said. US President Donald Trump’s executive order reads, “India has committed to stop directly or indirectly importing Russian Federation oil.” (Reuters Photo) “It formally tasks the commerce secretary with tracking Indian oil imports and creates a clear trigger: a finding that India has resumed ‘directly or indirectly’ importing Russian oil could snap the 25% punitive tariff back into place,” said Chellaney, professor emeritus at the independent think tank Centre for Policy Research (CPR), New Delhi. He said the word “indirectly” is a loaded one. “It opens the door to penalizing Indian refined fuels — diesel, jet fuel and other products — sold to Europe or the U.S. if Washington deems them to have originated from Russian crude,” he theorised in a post on X. “Donald Trump removes the tariff noose but …
