US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer | Photo Credit: REUTERS

New Delhi, June 15: Notwithstanding the recent strain in diplomatic ties over the killing of three Indian civil mariners by the US forces in the Gulf of Oman, India and the US are taking forward their trade talks with a key visit by US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, scheduled next week to finalise the interim trade deal.  

Greer is scheduled to hold talks with Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on June 23-24 giving “final touches” to the framework deal, Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said at a media interaction on Monday.

“Our expectation is that discussions will be centred around giving final touches to the framework deal, which has been discussed during the visit of their (US) delegation. There will be talks also on the larger BTA (bilateral trade agreement), that has also been under discussions between the two sides,” said Agrawal. 

The US is keen to get an early agreement on the interim trade deal so that its industry has increased market access after India eliminates or brings down tariffs on all industrial products and a wide range of agricultural products, as agreed in the framework deal announced (but not signed) by the two on February 6.  

Bilateral Tensions

However, the upcoming high-level talks face intense political backlash at home, with Opposition parties aggressively calling for New Delhi to walk away from the negotiating table in protest of the maritime fatalities.

Critics argue that pressing forward with trade concessions is inappropriate while the nation is mourning the seafarers and demanding diplomatic accountability. Compounding these bilateral tensions is the unresolved shadow of Washington’s Section 301 investigations into Indian exports.

Addressing these dual challenges on Monday, Agrawal emphasised that India was handling both the Section 301 investigations and the trade talks parallely.

“US Section 301 are legal investigations, which is following this due process, and we are also engaged in our discussions. We have made our point, which was indicated throughout last month, and we are also engaged to see what the outcome is... As far as the trade deal is concerned, I think the trade deal covers the entire gamut of trade relationship between India and the US, so definitely whenever we finalise and sign the deal, I think they try to have clear answers on the 301 investigations,” he said.

Published on June 15, 2026