Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri (file picture) | Photo Credit: ANI

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri will be on a three-day visit to Washington this week to engage senior US officials on trade, defence and global developments amid ongoing trade investigations, fluid tariffs and a volatile security situation in West Asia.

Misri’s Washington visit, on April 8-10, will provide an opportunity to review the “full spectrum” of India–US bilateral relations and advance ongoing cooperation across key areas, per a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs on Tuesday.

“During the visit, the Foreign Secretary will hold discussions with senior officials of the US administration on a wide range of issues, including trade, defence, science and technology, as well as regional and global developments of mutual interest,” it said.

The visit takes on added significance as the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) recently initiated two sweeping Section 301 investigations, both of which prominently feature India on their target lists. The first, launched on March 11, probes structural excess manufacturing capacity across 16 economies, alleging that state-backed overproduction in sectors like solar, steel, and textiles is distorting global markets.

The second, initiated on March 12, examines 60 major trading partners, including India, over their alleged failure to effectively enforce prohibitions on goods produced with forced labor.

Misri may use the visit to place before US officials India’s defence in both cases to stop them from escalating into new tariff regimes.

Critical deadline

With a critical deadline for written comments set for April 15, the Foreign Secretary’s discussions are expected to serve as a vital diplomatic channel to address these probes before they potentially escalate into new tariff regimes.

The statement also noted that the discussions would cover regional and global developments of mutual interest, which is expected due to the escalation in the ongoing crisis in Iran (which is in a war with Israel and US) and entire West Asia.

The Foreign Secretary may also discuss a possible extension of the sanctions waiver for the strategic Chabahar port India is helping develop in Iran. The waiver is currently set to expire on April 26, 2026.

Published on April 7, 2026