'99% There, Last 1% Being Finalised': Sergio Gor Says India-US Trade Deal 'Win-Win' For Both Nations

US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor on Wednesday spoke on the much-awaited Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) between India and the United States and revealed that negotiations for the trade agreement are "99 percent there," with both nations actively working on the "last one percent".Speaking to the media on the sidelines of CITI's 2026 India Conference in Mumbai, Ambassador Gor expressed immense optimism about the imminent finalisation of the deal."We are 99% there, the last 1% we are working on. We are very optimistic that this will get done. It will be a win-win situation for both the US and India," Gor was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.The US Ambassador further clarified that the unresolved one percent consists primarily of technical legal

phrasing and implementation timelines. "In these negotiations, each side has to give something, because that's what identifies the win-win situations," Gor stated, praising India's "incredible negotiators" for holding the line.Earlier on Monday, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal while talking about the details of the trade deal said the same thing, stating that "99 percent of the deal is finalised".In a press conference, Piyush Goyal said, "All the major points have been settled. US Ambassador to India, Sergio Gor, recently stated that 99 percent of the details have been finalised. I am fully confident that we will conclude the first tranche of the bilateral trade agreement with the US as soon as possible. We will sign it and then proceed to initiate further discussions on how to formulate an even more comprehensive bilateral trade agreement moving forward."

Gor On PM Modi-Trump Relationship

Gor is set to travel back to New Delhi to meet with Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, alongside a large visiting US trade delegation currently engaging with India's Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).Rejecting negative speculations over the trade deal, Gor highlighted the personal rapport between US President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, noting that their strong and growing relationship is the core reason the trade deal has advanced so rapidly.

Sergio Gor on Iran War

responding to the questions regarding the ongoing US-Iran conflict and escalating global energy costs, Gor defended the US position, shifting the blame entirely onto Tehran's "very reckless regime" for "attacking" neighbouring Gulf states and holding global trade hostage through its stance in the Strait of Hormuz.Reaffirming Washington's absolute opposition to Iran's nuclear ambitions, Gor defined it as a non-negotiable red line for the Trump administration."Imagine if those ICBMs now were nuclear armed, what the devastation on that region would be. And that has been the red line for the United States--that Iran will not have a nuclear weapon. We cannot have another terrorist state in the Middle East that will shoot down any of its neighbours now with a nuclear weapon," Gor said.(With agency inputs)