New Delhi, July 24 -- Washington's new tariff framework, which covers 99.4 percent of goods flowing into the United States, applies equally to UK exporters despite months of diplomatic work aimed at securing a partial carve-out.

The new measures impose rates of between 10 and 12.5 percent on goods from approximately 60 countries. The legal basis is Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, a statute that permits the United States to act against foreign practices deemed to harm American commercial interests. The White House has designated those practices as "forced labour," a framing that legal scholars say stretches the statute's original design but may prove difficult to challenge quickly in federal court.

The move replaces the Internation...