President Trump issued Executive Order 14436 on October 16, 2026, putting in place the framework of the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 and, in the same order, suspending nearly all of the punitive measures it contains. Congress passed the law in response to Russia’s continuing war in Ukraine, and the President signed it on September 18. On paper, the order spells out sharp tariff increases: duties on goods from Russia would rise by 500 percent ad valorem, and duties on goods from the five largest importers of Russian crude oil and natural gas would rise by 100 percent if those countries knowingly made new purchases on or after October 18, 2026. Goods from the five countries that do the most to help Russia evade oil sanctions would face the same 100 percent increase. These increases would be stacked on top of existing duties, including those imposed under the Trade Act of 1974 and Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. However, the President invoked Section 115 of the act to waive every duty provided for in Sections 112 and 113. Section 115 allows the President to set aside the act’s measures if he certifies to Congress that doing so serves the national interest and explains why. He also waived the sanctions on foreign persons and the restrictions on persons set out in Sections 102(a), 102(d), 102(e), 103 through 111, and 117.
The waivers have no end date. The order provides that they will stay in effect until the President or the Secretary of State, consulting with the Treasury Secretary and the U.S. Trade Representative as appropriate, decides that further action is needed. In the meantime, the order directs the Trade Representative to work with the Secretaries of State, the Treasury, and Energy to track (and report to the President) which countries are buying Russian oil and gas, and which are helping Russia evade sanctions. The order also confirms that it does not disturb sanctions imposed under existing executive orders tied to the national emergency over the Russian government’s harmful foreign activities, an emergency the President recently continued on March 24, 2026. Individuals and entities already designated under those orders remain sanctioned. Finally, the order divides responsibility for carrying out the law among the State Department, the Treasury Department, the Energy Department, and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, and it allows each to delegate those duties within its own agency.
White House – Presidential Action