Former Pakistani Ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani on Wednesday mentioned that China, India, and Japan are resilient enough to withstand US President Donald Trump’s tariff threats. Haqqani also warned Washington, DC, against challenging times if global trade wars take a different turn. 

His take came after US President Donald Trump announced a 25 per cent tariff on Indian imports. Trump criticised India’s economic ties with Russia, stating: “I don’t care what India does with Russia. They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care.”

“China, Japan, and India are all resilient enough to withstand President Trump’s tariff threats. The U.S. will, however, need new partners and allies in Asia if Trade Wars result in a different configuration of partnerships in the Indo-Pacific,” the former Pakistani ambassador to US wrote on X (formerly Twitter). 

Not only did Trump announce a 25 per cent tariff on Indian imports, he also dismissed the significance of US-India trade. Trump said, “We have done very little business with India; their tariffs are too high.”

On the same day, the US announced sanctions against six Indian firms involved in the Iranian oil trade. The affected firms include Kanchan Polymers, Alchemical Solutions, Ramniklal S Gosalia and Company, Jupiter Dye Chem, Global Industrial Chemicals, and Persistent Petrochem.

“All property and interests in property of the designated persons that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked,” the State Department said. The sanctions also extend to entities 50 per cnet or more owned by the listed firms. 

The sanctioned Indian entities are part of a broader crackdown on networks facilitating Iranian oil exports. This follows Trump’s escalation against Russia, where he labelled former President Dmitry Medvedev as “the failed former President… who thinks he’s still President,” adding “He’s entering very dangerous territory.”