Trump administration launches probe against 16 countries including India amid war with Iran, will new tariffs be imposed on India?
The United States has launched a new investigation against some of its largest trading partners, including India and China.
The move raises the possibility of additional tariffs or other economic penalties on several countries, including India. The decision comes at a time when the Trump administration is exploring new options after the US Supreme Court struck down some of the previously imposed tariffs.
Last month, the US Supreme Court struck down a portion of President Donald Trump's tariffs on several countries, including India. The US has taken this step after that.
On Wednesday, US Trade Representative Jameson Greer announced that Section 301 will investigate countries like China, the European Union, India, Japan, South Korea, and Mexico for unfair trade practices.
He stated that new tariffs could be imposed on these countries by the summer.
This investigation authorizes the US to impose import taxes, or tariffs, on goods imported from countries found guilty of unfair trade practices.
Grier stated that he hopes to complete the investigation before July. The temporary tariffs imposed by Donald Trump on these countries are set to expire in July.
Other countries under investigation include Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Singapore, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Switzerland, and Norway. Canada, America's second-largest trading partner, is not within the scope of this investigation.
This move comes just weeks after the US Supreme Court ruled that President Donald Trump's tariffs imposed on several countries last April were illegal.
Immediately after this decision, Trump announced a new global tariff of 10%.
He called the court's decision "very bad" and even called the judges who issued the decision "stupid."
The day after the decision, Trump announced that the tariffs would be 15%, but then implemented it at 10%.
Since then, Trump and other senior officials in his administration have stated that this tariff will be raised to 15%.
This investigation could provide the Trump administration with a way to strengthen its case for imposing tariffs against its trading partners.
Meanwhile, top US officials are scheduled to meet with their Chinese counterparts in Paris this weekend.
These talks are taking place in preparation for a possible meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing later this month.