US President Donald Trump suggested on Wednesday that more secondary sanctions might be coming soon. This followed his announcement of an added 25% tariff on India.
#WATCH | On being asked, ‘Indian officials have said that there are other countries that are buying Russian oil, like China, for instance. Why are you singling India out for these additional sanctions’, US President Donald Trump says, “It’s only been 8 hours. So let’s see what… pic.twitter.com/YRNbR06ne8
— ANI (@ANI) August 6, 2025
When questioned about why India was being singled out, considering other countries like China also buy Russian oil, Trump responded, “It’s only been 8 hours. So let’s see what happens. You’re going to see a lot more…You’re going to see so much secondary sanctions,” during a White House press briefing.
He also implied that similar sanctions could be placed on China, saying, “It could happen”. Depends on how we do. It could happen when asked about enacting more tariffs on China, similar to the Indian penalties.
Trump signed an Executive Order on Wednesday, adding a 25% tariff on imports from India. The White House stated that this increase was due to national security and foreign policy worries because India’s imports of Russian oil pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the United States.
The total tariff on Indian goods will then be 50%. The initial duty starts on August 7, while the additional tariff will be implemented after 21 days on all Indian goods entering the US, except for goods already in transit or those with exemptions.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) responded to this news by calling the US’s action “unfair, unjustified and unreasonable” and stated that New Delhi would take all actions necessary to protect its national interests.
The MEA said in a statement, The United States has in recent days targeted India’s oil imports from Russia. We have already made clear our position on these issues, including the fact that our Imports are based on market factors and are done with the overall objective of ensuring the energy security of 1.4 billion people of India.
The statement added, “It is therefore extremely unfortunate that the US should choose to impose additional tariffs on India for actions that several other countries are also taking in their own national interest. We reiterate that these actions are unfair, unjustified and unreasonable. India will take all actions necessary to protect its national interests.”
