US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor during the Citi India Conference 2026, in Mumbai on Wednesday.
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US government is hopeful that a trade deal with India will be accomplished in the next several weeks; its ambassador, Sergio Gor, said here on Wednesday.“We are very optimistic. We are 99 per cent there and are working on the last one per cent. To put it in perspective, we have been working on this deal for one and a half years. European Union’s deal with India took almost 19 years to get done,” Gor said on the sidelines of the Citi India conference.“You have two like-minded partners – the US and India that want the deal to get done. It will be a win-win situation for both countries, and we are excited to get it across the finish line,” he said.A team of US government officials led by its deputy trade negotiator are in India and is holding talks with officials from the Indian government. On Thursday, they will meet Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal.Gor said President Donald Trump feels strongly about his relationship with India and his friendship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “ This is one of the reasons why the trade deal has advanced so fast. It is because the president holds India and its leadership in such high regard,” Gor said.Gor, a close associate of President Trump, was named as the US ambassador to India last year. He said that under the Trump administration, the US is working more closely with India in various areas, ranging from AI, supply chains, and pharmaceuticals, among others. He said the US and India are pushing their partnership to new levels, citing the example of opportunities in civil nuclear co-operation.“ We are looking forward to decades of future cooperation between our civil nuclear sectors. Such long-term investments will require support from the financial services sector, “ Gor said in his address at the conference.In April, the US embassy in Delhi launched its Freedom 250 campaign to deepen trade and co-operation in emerging technologies and security.“This is without a question the most consequential partnership of the century,” he said.Iranian regime is recklessAsked if the US could have handled the Iranian crisis maturely, as it is causing hardship globally, Gor said the regime in Tehran is reckless.“Iran attacked each of its neighbours. We can not let Iran have a nuclear weapon, and that is a red line for us,” he said. Gor also blamed Iran for blocking the Strait of Hormuz. “ Ships that have nothing to do with the conflict should be allowed to move. Several Indians have been unfortunately killed,” he added.Published on June 3, 2026
