WASHINGTON/NEW DELHI — President Donald Trump’s doubling of tariffs on imports from India to as much as 50% took effect as scheduled on Wednesday, delivering a serious blow to ties between two powerful democracies that had in recent decades become strategic partners.

A punitive 25% tariff, imposed due to India’s purchases of Russian oil, was added to Trump’s prior 25% tariff on many imports from the South Asian nation. It takes total duties as high as 50% for goods as varied as garments, gems and jewellery, footwear, sporting goods, furniture and chemicals – among the highest imposed by the U.S. and roughly on par with Brazil and China.

The new tariffs threaten thousands of small exporters and jobs in India, including in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state of Gujarat, and are expec

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