TEHRAN _ The cracks in the India-U.S. trade ties are widening with many top Indian executives and government officials expressing concern over the ongoing trade dispute between the two countries and questioning the hard-nosed stance of Washington.

On Thursday, a group of Indian officials held a meeting with U.S. trade representatives in Washington at the Annual Leadership Summit of the U.S.-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF), according to reports.  

Despite India’s status as an important American ally, the country did not receive an exemption from U.S. tariffs on aluminum and steel imports, which forced New Delhi to respond with its own set of tariffs on roughly $240 million of U.S. goods, which will come into effect from August.

Ajay Singh, the chairman and managing director of India’s private airline SpiceJet, while speaking at the summit questioning the direction of the relationship between the two countries.

“We need to talk about this a lot more,” Singh said. “Where do we see ourselves several years from now? Is this really a strategic relationship? Is it that we will trust each other enough? Will India trust the U.S. to be there when India needs them? And will the U.S. trust India with technology that’s obviously been developed with a great deal of effort?”

Meanwhile, stung by public backlash and criticism over its plan to cut oil imports from Iran, Indian government has said that it will take a “considered and considerate’ view based on ‘national interest’ on the issue and find a way to secure its energy needs.