‘India May Buy Oil from Pakistan Someday,’ Says Trump After Oil Deal With Pakistan

Washington: In a dramatic double-barreled policy announcement, former U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday slapped a steep 25% tariff on Indian imports, while simultaneously revealing a “massive” new oil partnership with Pakistan — a deal that could reshape regional energy and trade dynamics.

Taking to his social media platform Truth Social, Trump declared, “We have just concluded a Deal with the Country of Pakistan, whereby Pakistan and the United States will work together on developing their massive Oil Reserves. We are in the process of choosing the Oil Company that will lead this Partnership. Who knows, maybe they’ll be selling Oil to India some day!”

The move comes amid escalating trade tensions between the U.S. and India. Trump announced that the fresh tariff and an additional penalty on Indian goods will take effect from August 1, citing what he called India’s “obnoxious” trade barriers and close energy and defense ties with Russia.

“India is our friend,” Trump wrote, “but they’ve imposed some of the highest tariffs and non-monetary trade barriers in the world. They continue to buy most of their weapons and energy from Russia — not acceptable while the world wants Russia to stop the killing in Ukraine. INDIA WILL THEREFORE BE PAYING A TARIFF OF 25%, PLUS A PENALTY… STARTING ON AUGUST FIRST.”

In response to a reporter’s question later in the day, Trump remained ambiguous on the future of U.S.-India relations, stating, “We are talking to them now. India was the highest — or just about the highest — tariff nation in the world. We’ll see what happens. We are negotiating.”

Notably, India has long been criticized by U.S. trade representatives for maintaining high import duties and stringent regulatory barriers. The new tariffs, combined with Trump’s pivot toward energy cooperation with Pakistan, signal a sharp turn in the former president’s South Asia strategy — possibly aiming to rebalance ties and challenge India’s energy diplomacy with Russia and Iran.

If finalized, the U.S.–Pakistan oil collaboration could be one of the largest American-led energy ventures in the region, with geopolitical ripple effects in both South and Central Asia.