The View from India newsletter: Tariff setback for Trump Today World News

(This article is part of the View From India newsletter curated by The Hindu’s foreign affairs experts. To get the newsletter in your inbox every Monday, subscribe here.)

The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision that President Donald Trump’s global tariffs are illegal is a major setback to the President who is using economic powers to rewrite America’s relations with other countries. The 6-3 decision, written by Chief Justice John Roberts, rejected Mr. Trump’s argument that the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act authorised tariffs. Mr. Trump called it a “terrible” decision. But soon after, he imposed a new tariff of 15%. “I, as President of the United States of America, will be, effective immediately, raising the 10% Worldwide Tariff on Countries, many of which have been “ripping” the U.S. off for decades, without retribution (until I came along!), to the fully allowed, and legally tested, 15% level,” Mr. Trump wrote in a social media post. The new rate came less than 24 hours after Mr. Trump announced his 10% rate. This would mean that some countries such as Britain and Australia who settled trade disputes over a lower rate will have to pay more, while some others such as India, China, Vietnam and Brazil will pay less than their agreed rates.

The Trump administration had imposed 50% tariffs on India—25% reciprocal tariff and 25% punitive tariff over India’s purchase of Russian oil. India agreed to a trade agreement with the U.S. which saw tariffs being reduced to 18% from 50%. But, according to Mr. Trump and a White House fact sheet, India has agreed to end oil purchases from Russia and buy more American goods. India has neither confirmed nor rejected Mr. Trump’s claim that it has agreed to purchase Russian oil. Now that the Supreme Court has struck down Mr. Trump’s global tariffs, India would be paying the new tariffs rate, which is, as of now, 15%.

Trump administration officials have also indicated that the President might use sections of the 1974 Trade Act to impose tariffs on countries on individual basis or expand the national security related tariffs currently imposed on different industries such as steel minerals and cars under the 1962 Trade Act. So while Mr. Trump accepts that the Supreme Court ruling as a legal setback, he doesn’t appear to be ready to step back from the tariff wars. “At a broader level, the ruling is to be welcomed by anyone valuing robust democratic checks and balances. The two administrations of Mr. Trump have stretched, and in some cases exceeded, the scope of permissible policy actions under domestic and international law,” writes The Hindu in this editorial. “Until this ruling by the court, there has been a deafening silence on containing such actions by institutions rooted in constitutional authority that are capable of imposing a countervailing force.”

What are the global economic consequences of the SCOTUS ruling invalidating Trump tariffs? Read this analysis by my colleague Kunal Shankar.

Iran monitor

West Asia remains on the edge with the U.S. building its largest military presence in the region since the 2003 Iraq war and Iran signalling that it is also preparing for a possible conflict. The U.S. has deployed dozens of fighter jets, war ships, two aircraft carriers, fuel tankers and missile defence shields to the region. Iran carried out a joint naval drill in the Persian Gulf last week and temporarily closed the Strait of Hormuz, a critical maritime chokepoint. U.S. and Iran officials also held two rounds of talks—first in Muscat and the second in Geneva. After the Geneva talks on February 17, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said both sides had agreed to “guiding principles” for future talks. But the American side was less optimistic. According to Vice President J.D. Vance, “gaps still remain” Steve Witkoff, the U.S. special envoy for West Asia and the chief negotiator, has said in an interview that the U.S. wants zero enrichment in Iran. Tehran, on the other side, says enrichment is its right under the NPT and that it would not give it away. Diplomats from both sides are expected to hold a third round of talks this week in a last ditch effort to find a diplomatic solution. Both Iran’s President Msoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Araghchi say they are open for a deal on the nuclear programme, but won’t accept America’s sweeping demands. As diplomats continue to talk, tensions remain high in the region.

The Top Five

1. Are Indian firms intent on moving to Venezuelan oil? | Explained

What are the drawbacks of Venezuelan crude? Has India been importing from the South American nation? writes Saptaparno Ghosh

2. Why the Strait of Hormuz remains central to global energy security

As Iran launches fresh military exercises in the corridor to prepare for ‘potential security threats’, attention has once again shifted to the world’s most critical energy chokepoint that carries almost 20% of global petroleum; any disruption here could jolt energy prices and economies, including India’s, writes Sharmada Venkatasubramanian.

3. What is Trump’s Project Vault?

The Trump administration’s initiative aims to create a reserve of critical minerals to protect its domestic industries from any disruption, as witnessed when China restricted export of rare earth magnets to retaliate against U.S. tariffs, causing a near shutdown of car manufacturing operations in the U.S. and the world over, writes Harisundar Kumar

4. Inside the rise of robotics firm Unitree, glimpse into China’s tech ambitions

Unitree, a private company started by tech entrepreneur Wang Xinxing (36) who designed his first robot at university, said this week it plans to sell as many as 20,000 humanoid robots this year, an almost four-fold rise from 2025, writes Ananth Krishnan

5. The world according to Marco Rubio

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, addressing the Munich Security Conference, hailed the colonial period as a phase of the West’s “expansion”, writes Stanly Johny.

Published – February 23, 2026 05:00 pm IST