DOHA: President Donald Trump has suggested that India has offered to drop tariffs on US goods to zero, something not immediately acknowledged by New Delhi.

Trump made the comments during a business roundtable in Doha, Qatar, on his Mideast tour, first discussing Apple's plans to build manufacturing plants for its iPhone there.

“It's very hard to sell into India and and they've offered us a deal with what basically they're willing to literally charge us no tariff,” Trump said.

India is a close partner of the US and is part of the Quad, which is made up of the US, India, Japan and Australia, and is seen as a counterbalance to China's expansion in the region.