On October 16, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order suspending the law introduced by the late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham on the so-called “hell sanctions” against Russia and Iran. The law was due to take effect by October 18, along with separate presidential directives on additional tariffs and economic restrictions.
The law stipulated that within 30 days of its signing, the president was to order the introduction of additional restrictions against Russia and Iran. These included a 500% tariff on Russian goods.
The document also provided for 100% tariffs on goods from the five largest buyers of Russian oil and gas, as well as the five largest countries assisting in sanctions evasion.
For sanctions policy, this law would have represented a significant expansion of available tools and a strong negotiating lever for U.S. diplomacy. At the same time, Clause No. 4 of the document provided for the possibility of waiving its application.
Trump used this mechanism and informed Congress of his decision.
“I submitted to Congress a certification that granting such a waiver is in the national interests of the United States, along with a report explaining the grounds for such certification.”
Donald Trump, President of the United States
