Trump may decide on 100% tariffs on India over Russian oil soon: Sergio Gor

Gor said Trump was expected to decide on the matter within the next 10 days or so, adding that the law required the US President to take a decision within 30 days of its passage.Gor said the legislation gave the US President the authority to impose sanctions on countries buying Russian oil and gas or helping Russia avoid existing sanctions. (Photo: Reuters)New Delhi,Oct 15, 2026 18:37 ISTUS President Donald Trump is likely to decide within the next 10 days whether to impose sanctions that could affect countries buying Russian oil and gas, including India, US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor said on Thursday.Speaking at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum, Gor said Trump had not yet imposed sanctions on any country under the new law, which authorises tariffs of up to 100% on imports from countries that buy Russian energy or help Moscow evade sanctions.TRUMP HAS 10 DAYS TO DECIDE ON SANCTIONSOn September 18, Trump signed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 (SRIA) into law. The legislation authorises the US President to impose tariffs of up to 100% on imports from major buyers of Russian crude oil and gas, as well as countries that facilitate sanctions evasion.Gor said Trump was expected to decide on the matter within the next 10 days or so, adding that the law required the US President to take a decision within 30 days of its passage.INDIA AMONG COUNTRIES THAT COULD BE AFFECTEDGor said the legislation authorises the US President to impose sanctions on countries that purchase Russian oil and gas or help Moscow evade existing sanctions. He stressed that the measures were not directed at any specific country and covered three areas: oil purchases, gas purchases and sanctions evasion. He added that India was among the countries falling under one of these categories. Asked whether India could receive relief or an exemption, Gor said the decision would be up to Trump.US AND INDIA CLOSE TO A TRADE DEALGor said India and the US had made substantial progress towards a trade deal after around a year and a half of negotiations, with the broader framework and key issues largely settled. He added that the remaining work involved smaller details and new issues that could emerge as negotiations continued.According to Gor, the US administration had revisited parts of the proposed trade agreement after the US Supreme Court ruled, by a 6-3 majority, that Trump's sweeping global tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) were unlawful. The court found that the tariffs violated the Constitution by usurping Congress' exclusive power to tax.Gor said the US wanted to deepen business cooperation with India across several sectors, including defence, information technology, data centres and chip manufacturing.He also said investment by American companies in India could help create jobs in the US.His remarks come as the two countries continue trade negotiations, with a decision on possible sanctions over Russian energy purchases expected in the coming days.- Ends