Amid heightened trade tensions between India and the United States, the ministry of external affairs (MEA) on Sunday rejected media reports that suggested that New Delhi was reviewing the list of US goods exempted from tariffs.

The clarification came after several posts circulating on X claimed that the Indian government had begun reassessing exemptions and had stated, “No privileges without mutual respect.”

Dismissing the reports, the MEA’s official fact-checking handle termed the claims “fake news” and flagged them as “disinformation being spread on X.”

Another widely shared post alleged that India was contemplating a suspension or review of certain bilateral trade agreements if Washington continued with what it called “hostile economic policies”.

These claims surfaced in the wake of former US President Donald Trump announcing a fresh round of 25 per cent tariffs on Indian goods last week. In a post on Truth Social, Trump accused New Delhi of maintaining some of the “most strenuous and obnoxious non-monetary trade barriers of any country”.

“While India is our friend, we have, over the years, done relatively little business with them because their tariffs are far too high...,” Trump said.

He followed up with another post asserting that India and Russia could “take their dead economies and go down together.”

Commerce minister Piyush Goyal said the government had begun engaging with exporters to gauge the impact of the punitive tariffs.

Sources in the government said the move had caught officials in New Delhi by surprise, though efforts were on to ensure that the upcoming bilateral trade talks remained on track.

A US delegation is expected to arrive in New Delhi on August 24 for the sixth round of trade negotiations.