After US court rejects Trump admin's ‘ceasefire' argument, India reiterates, again: No talks with US on trade or tariff during Op Sindoor
India has once again denied any link between US tariffs and the May 10 ceasefire with Pakistan following nearly 100 hours of military conflict that included missile and drone attacks from Pakistan and air strikes by India.
At a press briefing on Thursday, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that 'from the time Operation Sindoor commenced on 7th May till the understanding on cessation of firing and military action on 10th May, there were conversations between Indian and US leaders on the evolving military situation'. The issue of trade or tariff 'did not come up in any of those discussions,' he said.
Jaiswal's statement was in response to claims made in a New York court by the US government that President Donald Trump's tariffs helped bring about the ceasefire. India confirmed talks with the US during the period but said trade discussions were not part of those exchanges.
US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and State Secretary Marco Rubio told the court that Trump had used the threat of tariffs to resolve global conflicts. They claimed the promise of increased trade with the US encouraged India and Pakistan to agree to a ceasefire. ' An adverse ruling that constrains presidential power in this case could lead India and Pakistan to question the validity of President Trump's offer, threatening the security of an entire region and the lives of millions,' Lutnick argued.
The court on Wednesday rejected this argument and blocked Trump's 'Liberation Day' tariffs.
India has earlier issued several statement rejecting US claims of brokering the ceasefire or mediating on Kashmir. Reiterating the same, Jaiswal on Thursday said: 'External Affairs Minister has also made clear that the cessation of firing was decided upon through direct contacts between the DGMOs of India and Pakistan.'
'As our bilateral dialogue, relations, or engagement with Pakistan is concerned, our position and approach have been very clear. It has been consistent. As we have said earlier too, any such bilateral engagement between the two countries will only be strictly bilateral — meaning, solely between India and Pakistan,' he added while answering if there is any change in New Delhi's approach for dialogue with Islamabad.
Jaishankar last week, in a conversation with Dutch daily De Volkskrant ruled out any scope for international mediation in the conflict, against Trump's claims of having brokered ceasefire between India and Pakistan.
'When two countries are engaged in a conflict, it is natural that countries in the world call up and try to sort of indicate their concern. But the cessation of firing and military action was something, which was negotiated directly between India and Pakistan… We made one thing very clear to everybody who spoke to us, not just the US but to everybody, saying if the Pakistanis want to stop fighting, they need to tell us. We need to hear it from them. Their General has to call up our General and say this. And that is what happened.'
Since May 10, when he announced the 'ceasefire', the US President has claimed on several occassions that he 'mediated' the ceasefire between India and Pakistan and the threat of cutting off trade forced the countries to stop the hostilities. India, however, has repeatedly denied any such involvement by Washington.
Meanwhile, Washington and New Delhi are still working on a bilateral trade deal that could raise trade volumes to over $500 billion by 2030. India has asked for exemption from the 26 per cent tariff imposed by Trump on Indian goods, which has been paused until July 9. The 10 per cent baseline tariff remains in place.
Jaishankar said earlier this month: 'Any trade deal has to be mutually beneficial; it has to work for both countries. That would be our expectation… Until then judgement will be premature.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Indian Express
32 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
Erasing the hyphen between India and Pakistan
The events of the year 2000 resonate vividly in my memory. Back then, I was serving as the deputy chief of mission at the Indian embassy in Brussels, a city known for its rich political history and culinary delights. It was in a charming, homely restaurant that our ambassador Chandrasekhar Dasgupta—one of the most astute diplomats India has ever produced—hosted a lunch for several members of the European Parliament. Needing to discuss the Kashmir issue with them, he was understandably nervous, pacing back and forth in the reserved room, carefully contemplating his words. When the guests arrived, we first enjoyed a delightful lunch. But the real treat came when the ambassador took the floor. With remarkable eloquence, he spent approximately 30 minutes elucidating the Kashmir issue and India's perspective on Pakistan. As a newly-minted diplomat, one particular element of his speech struck me profoundly: his impassioned plea to the audience not to think of India and Pakistan as two sides of the same coin. For years, international dignitaries visiting India would also make a point of visiting Pakistan, seemingly to maintain diplomatic balance. 'Do not hyphenate India and Pakistan,' he declared. 'If you want to come to India, you are most welcome. If you want to go to Pakistan, go to that country. But, for heaven's sake, don't consider that because you come to India, you are obligated to go to that country.' Fast forward to the present, and I find myself reflecting on whether there has been a significant shift in India's foreign policy—much like the 'changes' seen in other areas of governance. We criticised Nehru's protectionist policies, yet we now embrace the idea of 'atmanirbharta' (self-reliance) while navigating the complex South Asian landscape. While we once sought dominance in the region, we appear to have ceded some ground to China.
NDTV
32 minutes ago
- NDTV
Iran Fires Missiles At Israel In Response To Attacks
Tehran: Explosions were heard over Tel Aviv and Jerusalem as sirens sounded on Friday night across Israel following what the country's military spokesman said was the firing of missiles from Iran. Iran's state news agency IRNA said hundreds of ballistic missiles had been launched in retaliation for Israel's biggest ever attacks on Iran, blasting Iran's huge underground nuclear site at Natanz and wiping out its top military commanders. There were no immediate reports of deaths or injuries. Israel said the strikes were the start of "Operation Rising Lion". Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused Israel of having started the strikes and initiating a war. U.S. President Donald Trump said it was not too late for Tehran to halt the bombing campaign by reaching a deal on its nuclear programme. As evening fell on Friday, Iranian media reported explosions on the northern and southern outskirts of Tehran and at Fordow, near the holy city of Qom, a second nuclear site which had been spared in the first wave of attacks. Air defences were activated across Tehran and explosions could be heard in Isfahan. Israel's military said it was striking Iranian missile and drone launching sites, and had struck another nuclear site in Isfahan. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Israeli campaign was aimed at defeating an existential threat from Iran, invoking the failure to halt the Holocaust in World War Two. Israel's operation "will continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat," he said in a TV address. "Generations from now, history will record our generation stood its ground, acted in time and secured our common future." In a phone interview with Reuters, Trump said it was not clear if Iran's nuclear programme had survived. He said nuclear talks between Tehran and the United States, scheduled for Sunday, were still on the agenda though he was not sure if they would take place. "We knew everything," Trump said of the Israeli attack plans. "I tried to save Iran humiliation and death. I tried to save them very hard because I would have loved to have seen a deal worked out," Trump said. "They can still work out a deal, however, it's not too late." Earlier, Trump posted on Truth Social: "Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left." Israel's National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said military action by itself would not destroy Iran's nuclear programme, but could "create the conditions for a long-term deal, led by the United States" to get rid of it. DECAPITATION Two regional sources said at least 20 Iranian military commanders were killed, a stunning decapitation reminiscent of Israeli attacks that swiftly wiped out the leadership of Lebanon's once-feared Hezbollah militia last year. Iran also said six of its top nuclear scientists had been killed. Among the generals killed on Friday were the armed forces chief of staff, Major General Mohammad Bagheri, and the Revolutionary Guards chief, Hossein Salami. Major General Mohammad Pakpour, swiftly promoted to replace Salami as Guards commander, vowed retaliation in a letter to the Supreme Leader read out on state television: "The gates of hell will open to the child-killing regime." Iranians described an atmosphere of fear and anger, with some people rushing to change money and others seeking a way out of the country to safety. "People on my street rushed out of their homes in panic, we were all terrified," said Marziyeh, 39, who was awakened by a blast in Natanz. While some Iranians quietly hoped the attack would lead to changes in Iran's hardline clerical leadership, others vowed to rally behind the authorities. "I will fight and die for our right to a nuclear programme. Israel and its ally America cannot take it away from us with these attacks," said Ali, a member of the pro-government Basij militia in Qom. Iranian media showed images of destroyed apartment blocks, and said nearly 80 civilians were killed in attacks that targeted nuclear scientists in their beds and wounded more than 300 people. Iran's ability to retaliate with weapons fired by its regional proxies has been sharply degraded over the past year, with the downfall of its ally Bashar al-Assad in Syria and the decimation of Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza. Israel said a missile fired from Yemen - whose Houthi militia are one of the last remaining Iranian-aligned groups still able to fire at Israel - had landed in Hebron in the occupied West Bank. The Palestinian Red Crescent said three Palestinian children were wounded by shrapnel there. 'COWARDLY' Israel said that Iran had launched around 100 drones towards Israeli territory on Friday, but Iran denied this and there were no reports of drones reaching Israeli targets. The United Nations Security Council was due to meet on Friday at Tehran's request. Iran said in a letter to the Council that it would respond decisively and proportionally to Israel's "unlawful" and "cowardly" acts. The price of crude leapt on fears of wider retaliatory attacks across a major oil-producing region, although there were no reports that oil production or storage was damaged. OPEC said the escalation did not justify any immediate changes to oil supply. An Israeli security source said Mossad commandos had been operating deep inside the Islamic Republic before the attack, and the Israeli spy agency and military had mounted a series of covert operations against Iran's strategic missile array. Israel also established an attack-drone base near Tehran, the source added. The military said it had bombarded Iran's air defences, destroying "dozens of radars and surface-to-air missile launchers". Israeli officials said it may be some time before the extent of damage to the underground nuclear site at Natanz is clear, where Iran has refined uranium to levels Western countries have long said are suitable for a bomb rather than civilian use. Iran has long insisted its nuclear programme is for civilian purposes only. The U.N. nuclear watchdog concluded this week that it was in violation of its obligations under the global non-proliferation treaty. Tehran had been engaged in talks with the Trump administration on a deal to curb its nuclear programme to replace one that Trump abandoned in 2018. Tehran had rejected the last U.S. offer.
Time of India
34 minutes ago
- Time of India
Does the FBI have Epstein's secret photos of Donald Trump?
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Veteran journalist and author Michael Wolff has claimed that Jeffrey Epstein once showed him Polaroid photos of Donald Trump with topless young girls—and that the FBI may now have those images in its on The Court of History podcast with Sidney Blumenthal and Sean Wilentz, Wolff recalled an encounter with Epstein shortly after Trump's 2016 election victory. According to Wolff, Epstein went to his safe and pulled out a stack of Polaroids featuring Trump at Epstein's Palm Beach mansion.'They were kind of spread out like playing cards,' Wolff said. 'And it was Trump—with girls of uncertain age.'Wolff said he vividly remembered three of the photographs: 'In two of them, topless girls are sitting on Trump's lap. In another, he has a visible stain on his pants while several girls are laughing and pointing at it.'He estimated the photos were taken between 1999 and 2001. He also speculated that federal agents may have seized the images during the FBI's 2019 raid of Epstein's New York townhouse, which followed Epstein's arrest on sex trafficking charges.'I think it's certainly not unlikely that they were in the safe when the FBI came in after his arrest and took everything,' Wolff FBI has declined to comment on whether such photographs were ever explosive claim adds to ongoing scrutiny of Epstein's links to powerful men—including Trump, who has attempted to downplay their relationship. In a recent interview with NBC, Trump stated: 'Even Epstein's lawyer said I had nothing to do with it … I was not friendly with Epstein for probably 18 years before he died.'Wolff, known for his Trump-era bestseller Fire and Fury, said he had occasional contact with Epstein between 2014 and Trump's first year in office.'Epstein and Trump had been the best of friends for almost 15 years,' he said. 'They came from the same place. They were instrumental in each other's rise.'He added that Epstein often bragged about relationships with world leaders, including Fidel Castro, Mohammed bin Salman, and Vladimir Putin—though Wolff cautioned that Epstein blurred the line between fact and fantasy.'Let's not go overboard,' Wolff said. 'There was a reality—and then there was his augmented reality.'He also revealed that former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak held private conversations with Epstein about Trump. 'Ehud was interested in knowing everything possible that Jeffrey could tell him about Trump,' Wolff Elon Musk fueled speculation with a now-deleted post on X, writing: 'Donald Trump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public.'Trump allies, including Kash Patel and Dan Bongino, have dismissed suggestions of a cover-up, with Patel telling Joe Rogan earlier this year: 'There's been like 15 years of people coming in and creating fictions about this that don't exist.'However, as of now, the alleged existence of the photos remains unverified.
