New Delhi, July 7 -- With just 48 hours left for 90-day pause on US reciprocal tariffs to end, the much-anticipated bilateral trade agreement (BTA) between India and the US has reached a critical stage.

According to two officials in the Indian commerce ministry and one in Washington, the agreement is unlikely to be finalized without direct political intervention to resolve some of the remaining sticky issues.

"It's down to the wire. Unless there's political direction, the deal may not go through in time," said the first of the two Indian representatives cited above.

"If all goes well, the deal will be announced before the 9 July deadline," the person added.

Indian negotiators, however, are also closely watching recent remarks by the U...