Trump Administration Seeks ‘Fix’ from India on Recent Measures; Iran Stands Firm on Nuclear Issue

International News:The United States has expressed concern about India's oil imports from Russia. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Trump administration hopes India will improve its position. Speaking to NBC's Today on Tuesday, Rubio noted that some European countries are also buying large quantities of oil and gas from Russia, while demanding more sanctions from the US.

Increased Tariffs on India

The US has imposed an additional 25 percent tariff on India's oil imports from Russia, bringing the total US tariff to 50 percent. This is among the highest tariffs imposed on any country in the world. Rubio said Trump is already frustrated with Russian President Putin's war policy toward Ukraine, and concerns remain despite the August summit in Alaska.

Meeting with Jaishankar

Rubio met with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Monday during the high-level week of the United Nations General Assembly. The meeting lasted about an hour and recent tensions were discussed about trade, tariffs and energy purchase from Russia. This was the first personal meeting of the previous months between the two leaders..

Iran Rejects US

Meanwhile, Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, refused to communicate directly with the US over the nuclear program of his country. The statement came when Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian was on a trip to the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Khamenei stated that there would be no negotiations with the United States, stating that this was not an option but an order. His statement has raised concerns in Europe about Iranian sanctions and agreements. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul had also previously stated that the possibility of an agreement with Iran was extremely low.