India will avoid new US tariffs under the Graham Act when President Trump makes his decision on 18 October.
TrueJudged 13 November 2026
President Trump signed an executive order on 16 October, two days before the 18 October trigger date, waiving the tariffs and sanctions the Graham Act would have started to apply. The act set a 100% duty on the five largest buyers of Russian oil and gas that made new purchases from 18 October, and India was one of those buyers. The waiver runs until the White House decides further action is appropriate, so India has no new tariff under the act.
Signed on 18 September, the Graham Act allows President Trump to impose tariffs of up to 100% on goods from the five largest buyers of Russian oil. A decision is due on 18 October, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to visit Reliance’s Jamnagar refinery between 17 and 22 October. The Act also lets the President waive the tariff for national interest. So the visit turns the tariff into a bargaining chip that India can trade for oil and investment pledges. Reliance is best placed to benefit. It exported 929,000 barrels a day of refined fuel in September, accounting for over 70% of India’s total, and has agreed in principle to buy products from a planned US$3 billion refinery in Brownsville, Texas. Washington has offered similar relief before, removing a 25% duty on India in February after New Delhi pledged to stop buying Russian oil. Reliance will retain their premium-priced diesel sales to Western markets, but must now deliver on its Brownsville commitment.
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