India has slapped retaliatory tariffs of up to 120% on 28 U.S. goods totaling $240 million, including almonds, apples, chickpeas, and walnuts, in retaliation for the Trump administration's trade policies.

The tariffs were initially proposed in response to President Trump's tariffs on steel and aluminum imposed last year, and then enacted following the White House's June 1 decision to eliminate trade privileges India enjoyed under the Generalized System of Preferences, a program that is meant to help developing countries.

India called the president's actions “unfortunate” and said the tariffs, announced Sunday and set to go into effect on June 21, were needed to protect its economic interests.

India requested last year that the White House exempt it from the 25% tariff on steel and the 10% tariff on aluminum, but the administration never granted the exemption. The program had previously allowed duty-free imports of up to $5.6 billion on goods from India.

Overall, trade between the two countries was reported about $142.1 billion in 2018. India purchased $543 million in almonds from the U.S. last year, according to the Department of Agriculture, making it the largest single buyer. India was also the second-largest buyer of U.S. apples, purchasing $156 million over the same period.