Gor Says Trump Has Used Russia Sanctions Law Against No Country Yet, Decision on India Due in About 10 Days

Since Trump signed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 on Sept. 18, no country has been hit with the tariffs it authorizes. That was the update from US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor on Thursday, Oct. 15, at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum.

"He has to make a determination in the next I believe 10 or so days," Gor said. He added that Trump has not imposed sanctions on any country under the law so far.

No 100% tariff on India is in force. Whether one comes is the open question.

What the law allows

The act authorizes tariffs of up to 100% on imports from top buyers of Russian oil or gas, and from countries that help Moscow evade sanctions. Per the law's terms, the targets are among the top five importers of Russian oil or gas by volume over the preceding 12 months that keep buying 30 days after enactment. Any tariffs would stack on top of existing levies.

Gor said 86 of 100 senators voted for it. He also said the measures are "not targeted at any individual country." In his words: "It is three different buckets; one is oil, the second is gas, the third is sanctions evasion. So those individuals are identified based on the numbers. It just happens that India does fall in one of those brackets, along with a lot of other countries."

"The goal is not to punish anyone," Gor said. "The goal is to try to bring an end to this war." He said Washington understands countries cannot shut off existing supplies overnight. Asked whether India could get relief or an exemption, he said that is Trump's call.

The calendar doesn't quite line up

Gor said the law requires a determination within 30 days of passage. Thirty days from Sept. 18 lands on Oct. 18, three days from now. "10 or so days" points to around Oct. 25. Gor did not explain the gap, and the statute's exact clock was not detailed in his remarks.

India's exposure

Russia supplied 35% of India's crude imports in September, or about 1.74 million barrels a day. That is down from 56% in July. Mint's analysis attributes the drop to tighter availability and possibly the new law.

The US takes about 20% of India's exports, per Mint, so any tariff would hit hard. India's inflation is running at 5.5% against a 4% target. Mint argues that replacing Russian barrels in a tight global market would be difficult and expensive.

Separately, India is among 80 countries facing Section 301 forced-labor tariffs of 10% to 12.5% since late July. The Liberty Justice Center, the libertarian firm that won the Supreme Court tariff case, is challenging them at the Court of International Trade. A ruling could take weeks or months, and appeals could stretch it further.

Trump's diesel deal

On Oct. 9, Trump announced a deal with Vladimir Putin for Russia to supply 300,000 tonnes of diesel to the US and global markets. Retail diesel in the US hit $6.28 a gallon last week, and the midterm elections are Nov. 3.

Mint's explainer argues the deal runs against the purpose of the sanctions act and weakens Trump's footing to press India on Russian oil. It says members of both parties in Congress have opposed the diesel purchase, and that Trump has not backed down. The explainer says India could seek a waiver by arguing that a forced shift away from Russian crude would push global prices up. It also cites unnamed experts who warn Trump might impose a tariff anyway to pressure India into signing a trade deal.

The administration has not publicly addressed that argument in the terms Mint frames it. Gor's position is that the law is about volume and categories, not about any single country.

The trade deal

Gor said India and the US have made substantial progress after about a year and a half of talks. "The big picture, the big framework, the big items are done," he said, with smaller details and any new issues left. He said the administration had to revisit parts of the earlier arrangement after the Supreme Court struck down the legal basis for the earlier tariffs. He also pointed to defense, IT, data centers, chips and AI as areas for deeper business ties.

What remains unresolved is whether Trump uses the sanctions law on India, exempts it, or leaves it hanging as leverage while the trade talks finish. The decision window closes within days to roughly two weeks, depending on which clock applies, and it lands just before the Nov. 3 midterms.