Amidst turmoil over India-U.S. trade deal, U.S. President Donald Trump’s top NSC official for the region is set to visit Delhi.

According to the U.S. Embassy spokesperson, a delegation of U.S. officials led by Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs and National Security Council Senior Director for South and Central Asia Ricky Gill will travel to India during the week of August 4 to participate in a conference on IMEC infrastructure corridor in Delhi.

A transcontinental India-Middle East-Europe Corridor (IMEC) was announced on the sidelines of the G20 summit in New Delhi in September 2023.

The proposed corridor is expected to reduce the transit time between its eastern and western nodes by 40%, and costs by 30%, compared to transportation via the Suez Canal.

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The first IMEC Summit was held in Mumbai in April this year.

Mr. Trump has signed the fresh executive order imposing revised tariffs for 70 countries, including India, in a move that is expected to strain global trade relations further. Tariffs imposed on India’s neighbouring countries are less than India’s 25%, except for Myanmar at 40%. The new tariff for Pakistan is 19%, Afghanistan 15%, Bangladesh 20%, Indonesia 19%, Japan 15%, and Sri Lanka at 20%.