US House clears bill allowing up to 100% tariffs on India
The US House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a sanctions bill clearing the way for tariffs of up to 100% on the five biggest purchasers of Russian oil and gas, including India. The tariff story began in February 2025 and moved through 26%, a paused 10%, 25% and 50% duties. In February 2026 it was cut to 18%, followed by a 150-day 10% duty. India said it had warned Washington the moves could affect bilateral ties.
Source
Hindustan Times — India · read the original report ↗
Desk check · compared with the source
What the desk checked (5)
- The US House of Representatives passed a sanctions bill clearing the way for tariffs of up to 100% on the five biggest purchasers of Russian oil and gas, including India. — Stated in source as a factual development; no named official quoted.
- In April 2025 the US decided to impose a 26% tariff on Indian imports, later paused for 90 days with a 10% duty applied. — Figure appears in source timeline; no document or official cited.
- In July 2025 a 25% tariff was imposed on Indian products, raised to 50% a month later. — Figures appear in source; India's objection described as calling it 'unfair' without a named speaker.
- In February 2026 the US lowered the tariff to 18% in exchange for India halting Russian oil purchases, and the US Supreme Court struck down emergency tariffs. — Source states this; court ruling and subsequent 150-day 10% duty are unattributed to any ruling citation.
- India said it had warned Washington that such moves could impact bilateral ties and would work with trade and industry bodies. — Attributed generally to India; no specific ministry or official named.
Analysts’ view opinion
This is less a trade measure than a coercion instrument aimed at Russia's energy revenues, with buyers like India used as the pressure point. The bill passed by the US House authorises tariffs of up to 100% — it does not mandate them, which effectively hands the President a bargaining blade rather than a fired shot. For India the core issue is sovereign energy security: New Delhi has consistently argued that the fuel choices of 1.4 billion people cannot be dictated from outside. At the same time, the swing from 26% to 10% to 25% to 50%, then down to 18% and 10% since February 2025 suggests a pattern of recurring negotiation rather than settled punishment.
- House passage is not imposition; it creates presidential discretion, so both the timing and the size of any tariff remain negotiating leverage.
- India is not singled out — the bill covers the five biggest purchasers of Russian oil and gas, making this a Russia-focused pressure strategy more than a bilateral dispute.
- Delhi has already framed energy sourcing as a national-interest question, so visibly yielding to external pressure carries both domestic and strategic costs.
- The February 2026 reduction to 18% alongside a trade-deal framework indicates that energy purchases and tariffs are now bargained at the same table.
- India's response has been measured — noting it had warned Washington and that it will work with trade and industry bodies — pointing to damage-limitation and negotiation rather than retaliation.
What to watch — Watch what the US President does with the authority — whether he actually deploys it or holds it as leverage — and how fast Delhi moves on supply diversification and the trade-deal track.
The story does not establish whether the bill has become law, when or at what level tariffs would actually apply, or the current state of India's Russian oil purchases.
Deep dive
Research brief · 8 facts · 8 dates · exam-readyThe brief
Context
Since February 2025, India-US trade ties have been strained by successive rounds of US tariffs on Indian goods, driven in large part by Washington's objection to India's continued purchases of Russian crude oil. Tariff rates have swung repeatedly — from 26% to a paused 10%, then 25% and 50%, later down to 18%, and then temporary 10% duties. In September 2026, the US House of Representatives passed a sanctions and tariff bill aimed at pressuring Russia over its invasion of Ukraine and expanding sanctions on Iran, which also authorises President Donald Trump to levy tariffs of up to 100% on the five biggest buyers of Russian oil and gas, including India. India has said it had already warned Washington that such moves could impact bilateral relations.
Key facts
- The US House of Representatives passed a sanctions bill on Wednesday clearing the way for tariffs of up to 100% on the five biggest purchasers of Russian oil and gas, including India.
- February 2025: Trump announced a tariff system under which the US would charge rates equivalent to those imposed by India.
- India and the US set a target of doubling bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030 and agreed to work towards a limited trade deal.
- April 2025: The US decided to impose a 26% tariff on several Indian imports; implementation was paused for 90 days, with a 10% duty on all Indian imports during that period.
- July 2025: A 25% tariff was imposed on all Indian products entering the US; a month later it was raised to 50%.
- February 2026: The US lowered the tariff on Indian imports to 18% in exchange for India halting Russian oil purchases and reducing trade barriers; a trade deal framework was released.
- The US Supreme Court struck down Washington's emergency tariffs, after which Trump announced a temporary 10% duty on India and other countries for 150 days.
- July 2026: After the 150-day period ended, Trump announced a fresh 10% tariff on Indian imports, citing India's continued imports of goods allegedly made using forced labour.
Timeline
- February 2025Trump announces a tariff system matching India's rates; both sides target doubling bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030 and a limited trade deal.
- April 2025US decides on 26% tariff on several Indian imports; implementation paused 90 days with a 10% duty on all Indian imports.
- July 2025Trump imposes 25% tariff on all Indian products imported into the US.
- August 2025 (a month later)Tariff on Indian goods raised to 50%; India calls it 'unfair' and asserts its right to defend national interests.
- February 2026Tariff cut to 18% in exchange for India halting Russian oil purchases and easing trade barriers; trade deal framework released.
- After February 2026US Supreme Court strikes down emergency tariffs; Trump announces a temporary 10% duty on India and other countries for 150 days.
- July 2026After the 150-day period ends, Trump announces a fresh 10% tariff on Indian imports, citing goods allegedly made with forced labour.
- September 2026US House passes sanctions and tariff bill on Russia and Iran, authorising tariffs of up to 100% on countries including India; awaits Trump's approval.
Who has a stake
- US House of Representatives / US Congress — Passed the sanctions and tariff bill, handing Trump new tariff powers aimed at Russia and Iran.
- US President Donald Trump — Authorised to impose tariffs of up to 100% on goods from countries including India; the bill awaits his approval.
- Government of India — Says it warned Washington the moves could impact bilateral ties; will work with trade and industry bodies on the bill's implications.
- Indian exporters and trade/industry bodies — Face duties that have swung between 10% and 50% and now potentially up to 100% on goods entering the US.
- Russia — Target of the bill, which seeks to cut its oil and gas revenues over the invasion of Ukraine.
- Iran — The legislation also expands sanctions on Iran.
- Indian consumers and energy sector — New Delhi has cited energy security for its 1.4 billion people as the reason for buying Russian oil.
Why it matters
A tariff of up to 100% would be the steepest yet in an 18-month cycle of duties that has already run from 26% to 50% and back to 10%, injecting deep uncertainty into India's largest export market and into the $500 billion bilateral trade target set for 2030. It also turns India's energy sourcing choices into a direct trade-policy question, pitting New Delhi's stated energy security needs for 1.4 billion people against Washington's pressure campaign on Russia.
UPSC angle
Prelims pointers
- September 2026: US House of Representatives passed a sanctions and tariff bill authorising tariffs of up to 100% on the five biggest buyers of Russian oil and gas, including India.
- India-US bilateral trade target: doubling to $500 billion by 2030, agreed in February 2025.
- Tariff sequence on Indian goods: 26% (April 2025, paused 90 days with 10% duty), 25% (July 2025), 50% (a month later), 18% (February 2026), 10% for 150 days, then a fresh 10% (July 2026).
- The US Supreme Court struck down Washington's emergency tariffs, prompting a temporary 150-day 10% duty on India and other countries.
- The February 2026 tariff cut to 18% was tied to India halting Russian oil purchases and reducing trade barriers; a trade deal framework was released.
- The July 2026 fresh 10% tariff was justified by the US citing India's imports of goods allegedly made using forced labour.
Mains framing
The India-US tariff saga since February 2025 shows how a bilateral trade relationship can be reshaped by third-country geopolitics: Washington's objection to India's continued purchase of Russian crude, and its wider pressure campaign on Russia over Ukraine and on Iran, has driven duties on Indian goods from 26% through 25% and 50% down to 18% and then to temporary 10% levels, and now opens the door to tariffs of up to 100% under a bill passed by the US House. The causes are threefold — a reciprocal-tariff doctrine announced in February 2025, Washington's use of trade instruments as sanctions leverage on Russian energy, and additional grounds such as alleged forced-labour content in imports cited in July 2026. The implications are volatility for Indian exporters, tension with the stated goal of doubling bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030, and a clash between India's declared commitment to the energy security of 1.4 billion people and US sanctions objectives; the domestic legal environment in the US is itself unsettled, as the Supreme Court struck down the emergency tariffs. The way forward, as indicated by the sources, lies in completing the trade deal framework released in February 2026, sustained diplomatic signalling of the sort India says it has already conveyed to Washington, and consultation with trade and industry bodies to assess and cushion the bill's impact.
Key terms
- Sanctions and tariff bill (US, September 2026)
- Legislation passed by the US House to increase economic pressure on Russia over Ukraine and expand Iran sanctions, allowing up to 100% tariffs on buyers of Russian energy.
- Emergency tariffs
- Tariffs imposed by Washington that were struck down by the US Supreme Court, after which Trump announced a temporary 10% duty for 150 days.
- 90-day pause (April 2025)
- Suspension of the announced 26% tariff on Indian imports, during which a flat 10% duty applied to all imports from India.
- Trade deal framework (February 2026)
- Document released by India and the US alongside the cut in tariffs to 18%, tied to India halting Russian oil purchases and easing trade barriers.
- Forced labour grounds
- Reason cited by the US in July 2026 for a fresh 10% tariff, alleging India imported goods made using forced labour.
- US House of Representatives
- Lower chamber of the US Congress; it cleared the sanctions bill, which then awaited President Trump's approval.
Practice questions
- Trace the evolution of US tariffs on Indian imports between February 2025 and September 2026 and examine how energy sourcing decisions became a trade-policy issue for India.
- 'Secondary tariffs on buyers of Russian energy blur the line between sanctions policy and trade policy.' Discuss with reference to the US sanctions bill of September 2026 and its implications for India.
- How can India safeguard both its energy security and its export interests when a major partner links market access to third-country purchases? Suggest a policy approach.
Grounded only in the source report — figures and dates are the source's, not inferred.