Overview
- President Trump signed an executive order on Friday that formally suspends the immediate application of several sanctions, restrictions and duties created by the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act.
- The order prevents near‑term activation of up to 100% tariffs on major buyers of Russian oil and gas and proposed duties as high as 500% on some Russian goods while preserving the authority to reinstate those measures later and directing USTR to monitor energy purchases for evasion.
- The waiver follows the administration’s recent diesel agreement with Russia and Treasury’s General Licence No. 135 that allowed certain Russian diesel transactions, moves the White House says aim to lower U.S. fuel prices ahead of the midterm elections.
- Lawmakers from both parties have sharply criticized the waiver, demanded explanations from the White House and asked for swift implementation of the law’s measures or revocation of licences that enabled Russian fuel sales to global markets.
- The episode highlights a structural point of the statute: Congress granted broad tariff and sanction authorities but also a Section 115 presidential waiver, meaning the real impact will depend on executive choices about designations, rate‑setting and enforcement and could affect U.S. support for Ukraine and relations with India, China and European partners.