US-India trade deal stalls over tariffs, energy, and farm access

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit India for the second time this year, focusing on investment and energy in Mumbai and Jamnagar, while months of friction over a stalled US-India trade deal remain unresolved. The long-awaited interim trade agreement, framed in February to lower US reciprocal tariffs from 25 to 18 percent in exchange for Indian concessions, has not been finalized due to legal uncertainty after court challenges undermined the tariff basis, plus friction over energy imports and Washington's warmer ties with Pakistan. India remains reluctant to expose farmers to foreign competition, while Washington pushes for more US energy purchases; New Delhi insists its final tariff rate match rivals like Vietnam, and recent talks have hit a "plateau," though goods exports to the US jumped 21 percent in August.