U.S. and India Nearing Critical Minerals Agreement

United States Ambassador to India Sergio Gor announced on March 13, 2026, that the U.S. and India are nearing the finalization of a critical minerals agreement. Speaking at the India Today Conclave in New Delhi, Gor stated that a formal announcement is expected within the next few months. The agreement aims to secure supply chains essential for energy systems, emerging technologies, and advanced manufacturing.

Gor described the current bilateral relationship as a series of breakthroughs in trade, trust, and strategic coordination. This progress follows a February 7, 2026, framework for an Interim Agreement on trade. Under that framework, India agreed to reduce tariffs on U.S. industrial and agricultural goods and intends to purchase $500 billion of U.S. products, including aircraft and energy products, over five years. In return, the U.S. applied a reciprocal tariff rate of 18% on specific Indian exports.

The ambassador framed these developments as a result of the principle of reciprocity central to the diplomacy of President Donald Trump. Gor also emphasized a goal to revive the prominence of the Quad to maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific and noted that the partnership is expanding into defense collaboration within space and cyberspace.