The U.S. says India could face 100% tariffs

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🗓️ 4 August 2025

⏱️ 7 minutes

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Summary

From the BBC World Service: The U.S. has warned India of an "unspecified penalty" for buying Russian oil and weapons, which Deputy White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller says could take India's tariff rate to as much as 100%. For years, the economy of the tiny African kingdom of Lesotho has struggled, with claims of corruption and soaring unemployment; it’s now been hit with 15% U.S. tariffs — less than the 50% they were facing, but still a huge blow.

Transcript

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0:00.0	The US says India could face up to 100% tariffs if they keep buying oil from Russia.
0:08.1	Live from the BBC World Service, this is the Marketplace Morning Report.
0:12.1	I'm Luke Wilson in for Leanna Byrne. Good morning.
0:15.5	Ahead of President Trump's deadline for tariff deals, the US confirmed India would face a 25% import tax on goods entering
0:23.2	the US. That came into effect on Friday, but there was also a warning of an unspecified
0:29.2	penalty for buying Russian oil and weapons. Now Deputy White House Chief of Staff, Stephen Miller,
0:35.3	says that could take India's tariff rate to as much as
0:38.1	100% as he accused India of indirectly funding Russia's war in Ukraine by buying its oil.
0:45.8	India has defended the ties, calling its partnership with Russia steady and time-tested.
0:51.2	The BBC's Sanjay Descoupta has more on that relationship.
0:54.7	The two countries have been allies for decades. However, India's oil imports from Russia
1:00.4	weren't very much before the Russian campaign in Ukraine began. Before that war, India routinely
1:07.5	imported around 1 to 3% of its oil from Russia.
1:12.8	Now it imports between 35 and 40% of its oil from Russia.
1:18.5	By one estimate, it brings in about 2 million barrels of crude a day,
1:24.7	making it the second largest importer of Russian oil after China.
1:29.4	So is India likely to stop buying Russian oil?
1:33.2	India's hunger for energy imports is huge. It's 1.4 billion people. And if energy prices go up,
1:41.0	everything goes up in India. So very few governments in India can actually afford
1:45.4	a huge hike in the energy bill. Ours after President Trump had originally announced his 25%
1:52.2	tariffs in India, New Delhi came out with a statement. That's the only official statement so far.
1:56.9	And it said India would take all necessary steps to secure its national interests.
	...

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