New Delhi, July 7 -- The proposed India-US bilateral agreement (BTA) is not likely to resolve the fraught issue of American tariffs on Indian steel and aluminium, two people directly involved in the process said, days to go before the deadline for the first phase of the deal. The two sides have been racing against time to dust off the deal before president Donald Trump's 9-July deadline for countries to offer lower tariffs on US goods. The duties-now raised-are set to remain in force after the agreement, the people cited above said on condition of anonymity. "As a formal political green signal is awaited from Donald Trump following the approval of the deal's terms by the US Trade Representative, the long-standing duties on Indian metal exports-50% on steel and 50% on aluminium-will not be rolled back in this round of negotiations," said the first person cited above. The Indian negotiating team, led by commerce ministry secretary-designate Rajesh Agrawal, returned to New Delhi on Friday after a series of intense discussions in Washington. The team focused on achieving incremental progress in priority areas such as market access for Indian textiles, pharmaceuticals and services, while setting aside contentious issues like metals and autos for future rounds. The second person said, "Every country is facing similar duties that have been levied on steel and aluminium. India has also imposed safeguard duties. These issues were discussed, but there is no interim relief for India on this front," this person said. As per this person, both sides may revisit these tariffs. The Trump administration had originally imposed tariffs of 25% on steel and 10% on aluminium in 2018, citing national security concerns under Section 232 of US trade law. On 12 March 2025, Trump removed all country-specific exemptions and raised the aluminium tariff to 25%. Less than three months later, the US further doubled these tariffs to 50% for both metals The first tranche of the India-US BTA is now on Trump's desk for final approval, after being greenlit by US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. Trade analysts point out that while India has a limited export exposure to the US in steel and aluminium compared to other sectors, the continuation of high duties reflects Washington's protectionist stance and leaves little room for near-term relief. "This signals that the US is prioritizing domestic industrial revival and employment over trade concessions, especially in politically sensitive sectors like metals," said Abhash Kumar, assistant professor of economics at Delhi University....