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US, Pakistan strike trade deal to develop oil reserves

Dharvi Vaid with Reuters
July 31, 2025

President Donald Trump said a deal has been reached with Pakistan for the US to jointly expand Islamabad's oil stocks. Pakistan has said the deal will lower US tariffs on its exports.

US President Donald Trump seen at the White House
The development between US and Pakistan comes less than a day after Trump slapped a 25% tariff on Islamabad's archrival IndiaImage: Evan Vucci/AP Photo/picture alliance

US President Donald Trump announced late Wednesday that he had reached an agreement with Pakistan that will see Washington help develop the South Asian nation's oil reserves.

"We have just concluded a Deal with the Country of Pakistan, whereby Pakistan and the United States will work together on developing their massive Oil Reserves," Trump wrote on his social media site Truth Social.

Pakistan said the deal will result in lower tariffs on its exports to the US.

The country's deputy prime minister and foreign minister, Ishaq Dar, confirmed the deal in a statement.

"Pakistan concludes deal with USA," he wrote on X, without elaborating further.

Sketchy details of US-Pakistan agreement

The details of the deal — including the tariff rate agreed upon and the oil reserves Trump was referring to — were not immediately clear.

Trump also made no mention of tariffs in his announcement.

"We are in the process of choosing the oil company that will lead this partnership," the president said.

In April, Pakistan was facing a potential tariff of 29% from the US, which was later suspended for 90 days to make way trade negotiations.

On Thursday, Pakistan's Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said he had conducted meetings with senior US officials in Washington, and called the deal a "win-win" situation for his country and the US.

Aurangzeb is visiting the US capital for the second time in two weeks for what he said was a final-stage negotiation on a tariff deal.

"From our perspective, it was always going beyond the immediate trade imperative, and its whole purpose was, and is, that trade and investment have to go hand in hand," he said in a video posted by Pakistan's Finance Ministry.

Trump's scathing remarks on India

The development between US and Pakistan comes less than a day after Washington slapped a 25% tariff on Islamabad's archrival India.

The US imposed the tariff and other financial penalties, slated to take effect from August 1, over India's ongoing trade with Russia despite Ukraine sanctions.

Trump on Wednesday criticized the Russian and Indian economies, adding that the latter had one of the "highest" tariffs in the world.

"I don't care what India does with Russia. They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care. We have done very little business with India, their Tariffs are too high, among the highest in the World," he said.

While announcing the oil partnership with Pakistan, the US president also suggested Islamabad could sell oil to New Delhi "some day."

"Who knows, maybe they'll be selling Oil to India some day!" Trump wrote.

Who won, who lost in the US-EU trade deal?

02:23

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Edited by: Elizabeth Schumacher

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