New Delhi [India], June 15 (ANI): Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal welcomed the announcement of the peace agreement between the United States and Iran, expressing hope that the understanding would bring lasting stability to the West Asian region, even as the country recorded one of its strongest monthly export performances in recent years.
Speaking while releasing India’s trade data for May 2026, Agrawal said New Delhi was closely watching developments following the US-Iran agreement and hoped the deal would stand the test of time.
“All I can say, as honorable Prime Minister has said, that we hope it is a sustained deal, which brings in peace across the region. So, let’s wait. Now that it has come, it should be a deal which can be sustained over time in peace,” Agrawal said.
On the ongoing US Section 301 investigations, the Commerce Secretary said India remained engaged with the United States through established channels and was presenting its position while awaiting the outcome of the process.
“301 are legal investigations, which is following this due process, and we are also engaged in our discussions. We have made our point, which was indicated throughout last month, and we are also engaged to see what the outcome is,” he said.
Agrawal added that the proposed trade agreement between the two countries would address broader trade concerns. “As far as the trade deal is concerned, I think the trade deal covers the entire gamut of trade relationship between India and the US, so definitely whenever we finalise and sign the deal, I think they try to have clear answers on the 301 investigations,” he said.
Providing an update on negotiations for the India-US Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA), Agrawal said the US Trade Representative (USTR) is expected to visit India later this month for discussions aimed at finalising the framework of the deal.
“USTR is coming on the evening of June 22nd. On 23-24 June, he will be engaging with our Minister for Commerce and Industry. We expect that discussions will be centred around giving final touches to the framework deal and also on the larger BTA that has been under discussion between the two sides,” he said.
The comments came as India reported robust export growth in May 2026. Agrawal said merchandise exports rose 18 per cent year-on-year to USD 45.2 billion, compared with USD 38.3 billion in May 2025.
“We are recording even stronger export growth momentum, registering at 18 per cent growth with USD 45.2 billion in merchandise exports. This will be amongst one of the highest monthly exports in merchandise that we have achieved thus far,” he said.
Highlighting India’s long-term export performance, Agrawal noted that the country’s overall exports have nearly doubled over the past 12 years, rising from USD 446 billion to USD 863 billion, while services exports tripled from USD 142 billion to USD 420 billion. He also said India has concluded nine trade agreements with 38 countries over the past five years to deepen integration with global value chains and sustain export growth. (ANI)
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