New Delhi, May 14 -- India has proposed to levy retaliatory import duties on American goods proportionately in response to the US imposing safeguard tariffs on Indian steel and aluminium in a normal course, a government official confirmed adding that the move would not impact the ongoing negotiations for a bilateral trade agreement (BTA). New Delhi has exercised its rights as per established multilateral trade rules after Washington imposed tariffs on these metals as "safeguard measures" that adversely impacted India's exports worth $7.6 billion to the US, he said citing a notice published by WTO on Monday. The official requested anonymity as he is not authorised to speak on this matter. The Trump administration on February 10 imposed 25% levies on all US imports of steel and aluminium effective from March 12, which severely hampered Indian metal exports to America. "The safeguard measures would affect $ 7.6 billion of imports into the United States of the relevant products originating in India, on which the duty collection would be $ 1.91 billion. Accordingly, India's proposed suspension of concessions would result in an equivalent amount of duty collected from products originating in the US," India's notice to the WTO said. The US, however, maintained at WTO that its tariffs on steel and aluminium are based on national security considerations and are not "safeguard measures" as claimed by India, a second official said requesting anonymity. "Such disputes at WTO are common and routine. Without an effective appellate body at the multilateral forum, the disputes have no real significance." Federation of Indian Export Organisations (Fieo) director general Ajay Sahai described India's move at WTO is routine. "It will not have any impact on the ongoing BTA talks," he said. Under WTO rules, India has the right to retaliate if another WTO member levies safeguard measures without proper consultations. Ajay Srivastava, founder of the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) said, "Unless consultations are initiated or the US measures are withdrawn, India's retaliatory tariffs may come into effect 30 days from the notification date -on 8 June 2025." "India's latest WTO action comes at a delicate moment. New Delhi and Washington are exploring a broader Free Trade Agreement, and this retaliation could cast a shadow over negotiations. Still, India's calibrated, rules-based approach contrasts with the unilateralism of US trade actions and positions India as a staunch defender of multilateral trade norms. The move also signals a tougher Indian stance, especially in politically sensitive sectors like steel and aluminium that align with its 'Make in India' industrial strategy," he added....