<h1>Bilateral trade agreement talks continue amid US tariffs and Section 301 investigations affecting timing of formal signing.</h1> India and the United States continue negotiations on a first-phase bilateral trade agreement with chief negotiators finalising contours and legal text, but signing is deferred until US tariff policy and related measures are clarified. Recent US actions - including a court-affected tariff decision, the imposition of temporary across-the-board levies, and initiation of Section 301 investigations into multiple economies - have affected timing though not the ongoing engagement; Indian officials say the US intends to calibrate tariffs to preserve India's comparative advantage and preferential access under the proposed pact.