Changes to Steel/Aluminum/Copper Tariffs Take Effect April 6; New Pharma Tariffs in 120 Days

President Donald Trump signed a series of executive actions Apr. 2 to set Section 232 tariffs on pharmaceutical products and charge a flat 25% rate for steel, aluminum and copper derivative products. The pharmaceutical tariffs will be set at 100% for patented drugs from companies without "most favored nation" drug pricing deals, though that rate may be reduced to 20% for companies that reshore their production to the U.S.

The new Section 232 tariff rates for steel, aluminum and copper will take effect at 12:01 a.m. ET on April 6. A flat 50% rate will apply to steel, aluminum and copper articles of Chapter 72 and many goods of Chapters 73, 74 and 76. A 25% tariff will apply to steel, aluminum and copper derivatives listed in Annex I of the proclamation. The proclamation also removes many goods from the list of derivatives subject to steel, copper and aluminum tariffs, notably all those in Chapters 1-71 of the tariff schedule, plus many in subsequent chapters. Those removals are listed in Annex II of the proclamation.

The tariffs will now apply to the full value of the good, rather than only the steel, aluminum or copper content, "so no more of this artificial pricing done by foreign importers who just make believe that they did it cheap," said a senior administration official on a press call.

A temporary 15% tariff, inclusive of most-favored-nation tariffs, will apply to metal-intensive industrial equipment and electrical grid equipment listed in Annex III through 2027, according to the proclamation and a White House fact sheet, though that temporary tariff relief may be revoked by the administration earlier. Products manufactured abroad "entirely" with U.S. metals will face a 10% rate. Goods from the U.K. that would otherwise be subject to the 50% rate are subject to a 25% tariff rate, and goods subject to the 25% rate for derivatives will be subject to a 15% rate.

The proclamation ends the product inclusions process for Section 232 tariffs on steel, aluminum and copper, though it says products may still be added at the administration's discretion. "This authority shall allow metal containers to be included in the scope of the metal tariffs, even if they are filled with items that will not be subject to steel, aluminum, or copper tariffs."

The proclamation also allows for manufacturing drawback under 19 U.S.C. 1313(a) and (b) for goods subject to the Section 232 tariffs on steel, aluminum and copper. But that applies only to goods from a "Trade Agreement Partner," currently the U.K., EU, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Canada and "any trading partner with which the United States concludes a final Agreement on Reciprocal Trade."

To qualify, the goods must also not be subject to antidumping or countervailing duties, and the aluminum, copper or steel must be entirely smelted and cast or melted and poured in a trade agreement partner country.

The tariffs on pharmaceuticals will have exemptions for countries that have signed trade deals with the U.S., including the EU, Japan, South Korea and Switzerland, which will face rates of 15%, and the U.K., which will get a 10% rate. Companies from those countries won't be required to reshore their manufacturing, according to a White House fact sheet.

Generic pharmaceutical products, biosimilars and associated ingredients won't subject to tariffs at this time, though the administration said that will be reassessed in one year.

Companies that agree to reshore their manufacturing operations will face tariffs of 20% while they construct facilities in the U.S. Companies that reshore and agree to MFN drug pricing will face a 0% rate during construction. The tariffs will come into effect in 120 days for "large companies," which the administration defined as those with which it had deals, and 180 days for "smaller companies," according to the fact sheet. "The aforementioned 20 percent rate shall increase to 100 percent on April 2, 2030," the order says.

The order also says the onshoring plans "shall be subject to approval, monitoring, and enforcement" by the Commerce secretary, who will require companies to submit periodic reports regarding progress "towards fulfilling onshoring milestones." Those reports may be reviewed by an external auditor. If the secretary determines that a company "engaged in fraud or deliberately misled" the government about its onshoring commitments, tariffs may be reimposed "both prospectively and retroactively."

The order says that drawback "shall be available with respect to the duties imposed pursuant to this proclamation."

Seventeen companies have already signed on to reshore their operations and agreed to MFN pricing. Thirteen of those have already signed deals: AbbVie Inc., Amgen Inc., AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals, Bristol Myers Squibb, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc., Eli Lilly and Co., EMD Serono Inc., Genentech Inc., Gilead Sciences Inc., Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp., Novo Nordisk Inc. and Sanofi S.A. The administration is "negotiating with the balance of the other four" -- Pfizer Inc., Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc., GlaxoSmithKline and ViiV Healthcare Co, and Johnson & Johnson -- "but they are coming," according to a senior White House official.

CIT Broadens IEEPA Tariff Refund Order to Include Finally Liquidated Entries

Court of International Trade Judge Richard Eaton on March 27 broadened his IEEPA tariff refund order to include finally liquidated entries. On March 27, the judge said "[a]ny liquidated entries for which liquidation is final shall be reliquidated without regard to the IEEPA duties." However, the judge continued his suspension of the order "to the extent that it requires immediate compliance."

Eaton's original refund order only covered non-finally liquidated entries, and in another previous order, the judge indicated that importers with finally liquidated entries should be aware of their protest rights. A group of importers, led by AGS Company Automotive Solutions, subsequently asked the judge to lift the stay of their case to address whether protests are needed to get refunds for finally liquidated entries.

CIT Amends IEEPA Tariff Refund Order to Include Brazil, India Tariffs, Continues Pause of Order

The Court of International Trade on March 20 amended its order requiring CBP to begin paying refunds for tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to include refunds of IEEPA tariffs imposed on Brazil and India that came on top of reciprocal tariffs for those two countries. Previously, the order only covered the tariffs at issue in the lead tariffs case before the Supreme Court, namely reciprocal tariffs and IEEPA tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China. However, Judge Richard Eaton continued his pause of the order "to the extent that it requires immediate compliance," also ordering CBP to file a report on March 31 discussing the progress it has made towards standing up an administrative refund process.

CBP Rules 5106 Filings, OCR Tool are Customs Business; AI Classification Tool Unclear

An unnamed foreign company without a customs broker license that’s marketing services for potential importers has impermissibly conducted customs business by filing CBP Form 5106 on behalf of several importers and providing an optical character recognition (OCR) tool to cull entry data from shipping documents, CBP said in a ruling released March 18. The company’s AI classification aid may violate customs business requirements as well, said CBP.

The ruling marks the first time CBP has ruled the submission of CBP Form 5106 on an importer’s behalf constitutes customs business and requires a broker license, the agency noted.

Filing CBP Form 5106 is “the preparation of a document or form intended to be filed with CBP in furtherance of making entry, signifying that submission of this form to CBP constitutes customs business,” the ruling said. “Consequently, we find that only a licensed customs broker may complete and submit CBP Form 5106 on behalf of another party.”

The ruling, HQ 350722, came to CBP headquarters by way of a request for internal advice from the automotive and aerospace Center of Excellence and Expertise, which expressed concern not only over the 5106 filings, AI classification tool and OCR tool, but also the company’s use of its online platform to connect importers with third-party brokers.

The AI classification tool, located on the unnamed company’s online platform, uses information input by the importer, including product name, material and end-use, to generate classification suggestions, and prompts the importer to select a tariff schedule chapter, heading and eventually subheading.

A disclaimer “appended” to the subheadings says the classification is only to serve as a guideline, and that the final classification “shall actually be determined by the Customs at its sole discretion,” among other things.

Previous CBP rulings have found that classification at the six-digit level, such as for use in Importer Security Filings, isn’t customs business and doesn’t require a license. But classification at the eight- or 10-digit level of the tariff schedule requires a broker license “if that classification information will or may eventually be used for an entry,” CBP said.

“Consequently, if the Unlicensed Company’s AI classification tool is deriving subheadings to the ten-digit level for merchandise that has been imported, or is intended to be imported, then customs business is being impermissibly conducted by an unlicensed entity classifying merchandise for which an entry is required to be filed with CBP,” the agency ruled.

CBP noted that the classification tool “may be utilized irrespective of whether an importer engages a third-party broker to make entry through the Unlicensed Company’s online platform.” It said that, to the extent the tool is being used for general classification advice, it may not constitute customs business.

“So long as the Unlicensed Company’s AI classification tool operates separately from the portal connecting importers to brokers for entry purposes, such that the tool does not direct either party on the proper classification which should appear on an entry and the disclaimer is meaningfully implemented, then it is permissible,” CBP said.

But if the tool is being used by customers who have engaged a third-party broker to make entry through the unlicensed company's online platform, then it’s “impermissibly directing customers and brokers on how to prepare the requisite entry documents,” CBP said.

On the other hand, the unlicensed company’s OCR tool that scans shipping documents is customs business whether or not it’s eventually sent to a third-party broker, CBP said.

“The filing of an entry is not a prerequisite to such an activity constituting customs business because 19 U.S.C. § 1641(a)(2) explicitly encompasses preparation of documents or forms in any format, or parts thereof, which are ultimately intended to be filed with CBP,” the agency said. An unlicensed entity isn’t allowed to make decisions on what constitutes relevant entry information, the agency said.

“An OCR tool which identifies precise pieces of information for a shipment intended to be entered thus entails customs business because it prepares parts of the data appearing on an entry in an electronic format,” CBP said.

And while CBP ruled that the unlicensed company’s connection of importers with third-party brokers isn’t customs business, citing previous rulings on the subject, the agency did say that it raises concerns related to power of attorney and broker confidentiality requirements.

According to CBP, once an importer has uploaded shipping documents to the company’s online platform and provided entry data for the shipment, the unlicensed company requires the importer to execute a power of attorney authorizing a third-party broker to make entry on its behalf. After the POA is uploaded, the broker is then able to view all the documents and data provided by the importer, and the importer and broker are able to communicate with each other using a chat system embedded in the platform.

CBP said that the unlicensed company can’t act as an intermediary between a broker and an importer in the formation or execution of a POA. Brokers and importers must directly do that.

And the chat function raises the possibility that brokers may be disclosing confidential information on their new clients because that function is hosted on the unlicensed company’s platform, which would violate broker confidentiality requirements, which would violate broker confidentiality requirements under 19 CFR 111.24. On the other hand, an importer disclosing entry data and entry documentation to the unlicensed company by entering it onto the chat would not be a violation, the ruling said.

CIT Judge Finds CBP Progress on IEEPA Refunds Satisfactory; Some Aspects 70 to 80% Done

Court of International Trade Judge Richard Eaton described CBP's work to set up an automated reciprocal tariff refund process as satisfactory, and continued to suspend his order to liquidate entries without International Emergency Economic Powers Act tariffs.

Brandon Lord, executive director of trade programs at CBP, filed an update on the progress on March 12 at the trade court, where he said there will be a claim portal as the importers' and customs brokers' interface with the Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries, or CAPE. The development of the claim portal is 70% done, Lord said.

Once filers submit information about the entries that included IEEPA tariffs, CBP will use a mass processing program to remove IEEPA HTS numbers, and run the duty calculations for the other tariffs owed. The development for that segment of the process is 40% complete, Lord said.

The next component of CAPE will review and liquidate or reliquidate entries. It will set the entries to liquidate or reliquidate after a number of days that Lord did not specify, enough to give CBP the chance to do a manual review if needed. This part of the program will calculate interest. These liquidations will happen Monday through Thursday, rather than the typical once a week Friday liquidations. That segment of CAPE is 80% complete, Lord said.

The refund segment will consolidate refunds by importer of record and liquidation date, though IORs can also designate a party to receive refunds on its behalf. That part of the system is 60% complete, Lord said.

"CBP has completed developing CAPE-specific refund processing functionality within the ACE Collections framework. Currently, CBP is performance testing the CAPE refund consolidation process," the filing said.

CIT Suspends Order Directing CBP to Issue IEEPA Tariff Refunds

The Court of International Trade on March 6 suspended its order directing CBP to immediately begin paying refunds of tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. Judge Richard Eaton paused his prior order "to the extent that it directs immediate compliance." The judge issued the suspension after a conference held on March 6 and considering the "declaration" of CBP official Brandon Lord, which discussed the practical difficulties in complying with the order while also noting that CBP is considering a system to automatically issue refunds that could be ready in 45 days.

CBP Considering Process to Automate IEEPA Tariff Refunds

CBP is considering a system to automatically issue refunds of International Emergency Economic Powers Act tariffs that it hopes could be ready for use in 45 days, said Brandon Lord, CBP executive director-trade programs, in a March 6 filing at the Court of International Trade.

The process would include the importer filing a declaration in ACE that lists entries on which IEEPA duties were paid, followed by a series of ACE validations and other automated processes. The end result would be electronic refunds of the aggregate total of IEEPA tariffs paid by each importer, rather than paying the refunds on each entry summary.

Lord said the new process is necessary because of the amount of manual work that would currently be required to issue IEEPA tariff refunds. Under current processes, CBP import and entry specialists would have to sift through the many entries where importers included all duties paid, including IEEPA tariffs, into the Chapter 1-97 tariff classification, despite the agency’s instructions to the contrary.

Manual work also is currently required to calculate interest payments where duty deposits were made on different dates for the same entry summary, such as when an importer submits a correction, and CBP must also manually certify refunds for accuracy. Many importers also haven’t taken the necessary steps to set up electronic refunds in ACE, as has been required since Feb. 6.

The filing comes in a case wherein CIT directed CBP to refund IEEPA tariffs on all entries not finally liquidated. A hearing in the case was set for today. It’s unclear whether the court will adopt the refund process Lord described in the filing, and if it does, the ruling would be subject to appeal.

Suit Against Section 122 Tariffs filed by 24 States at CIT

Twenty-four states filed suit against the Trump administration's recently imposed Section 122 tariffs, asking the Court of International Trade to permanently enjoin the government from implementing the Section 122 proclamation and order the government to refund any Section 122 tariffs collected from the states and their "instrumentalities."

The complaint, filed March 5, argues that the balance of payments crisis that forms the basis for the tariffs doesn't exist, and is instead a pretext for President Donald Trump to "impose, modify, and reinstate tariffs by executive order, memoranda, social media post, and other means" based on his whims. It also argued that the 80 pages of products that are not subject to the 122 tariffs, as well as certain products from various countries, are not justified by the statute's language about exceptions.

CIT Orders CBP to Refund All IEEPA Tariffs on Non-Final Entries

The Court of International Trade on March 4 ordered CBP to liquidate all unliquidated entries that were subject to tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, and reliquidation of such entries for which liquidation isn't final, "without regard to the IEEPA duties." Judge Richard Eaton said in light of the Supreme Court's decision finding that IEEPA doesn't contain any tariff authority and the trade court's unique ability to issue nationwide relief, such relief is warranted. Eaton also said CIT Chief Judge Mark Barnett indicated Eaton will be the only judge presiding over cases involving IEEPA duty refunds.

CAFC Sends IEEPA Cases Back to CIT to Address Refunds Over Objection From US

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit on March 2 granted a motion for immediate issuance of the mandates in the lead cases on the legality of tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, concurrently sending the case back to the Court of International Trade to sort out how to issue refunds. The court granted the motion over the objections of the government, which said the court should wait the ordinary amount of time before issuing its mandate or stay the issuance of the mandate to give Congress time to come up with a solution on tariff refunds.

US Urges CAFC to Slow Down Implementation of IEEPA Tariff Decision

The U.S. on Feb. 27 opposed a motion before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit for the immediate issuance of a mandate in the lead case on the legality of tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. While counsel for the five importers that filed suit said an immediate mandate is needed to begin the process of issuing refunds at the Court of International Trade, the U.S. said these companies' "apparent desire to be the center of attention in remedial proceedings in the CIT" doesn't support departing from the "ordinary course," in which the CAFC waits until the Supreme Court sends down its judgment either 32 days after judgment or after the denial of rehearing. The government said the importers haven't shown they will suffer irreparable harm without proceeding at "breakneck speed," adding that, if anything, the appellate court should wait 90 days to give Congress a chance to come up with a solution.

CBP Issues Guidance on Section 122 Tariff, De Minimis Ban

CBP issued guidance on the 10% across-the-board Section 122 tariff that will take effect at 12:01 a.m. Feb. 24. The CSMS message includes a list of the tariff numbers associated with the tariff and its exemptions, as outlined in the underlying presidential proclamation issued Feb. 20. It says that the Chapter 99 tariff number for the Section 122 tariff should be reported on entry summaries as follows:

• First report the Chapter 99 HTS for Section 301,
• Followed by the Chapter 99 HTS for Section 122,
• Followed by the Chapter 99 HTS for Section 232
• Followed by the Chapter 99 HTS for Section 201 duties (if applicable),
• Followed by the Chapter 99 HTS for Section 201 quota (if applicable).

The guidance said drawback is available for Section 122 tariffs. CBP issued a separate CSMS message Feb. 22 that said it would stop collecting International Emergency Economic Powers Act tariffs at 12:00 a.m. Feb. 24.

CBP also provided guidance on the continued prohibition on de minimis treatment in another CSMS message. “The processes currently in place to file entry and collect duties on shipments that previously qualified for de minimis treatment, including those entering through international mail, will remain in place,” the agency said.

CBP to Stop Collecting IEEPA Tariffs at 12:00 a.m. Feb. 24

CBP will stop collecting the now-invalidated International Emergency Economic Powers Act tariffs at 12:00 a.m. ET on Feb. 24, the agency said in a CSMS message. That includes reciprocal tariffs, fentanyl tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China and the additional 40% tariff on Brazil.

CBP said it will update ACE to set all Harmonized Tarif Schedule numbers for those tariffs to inactive as of Feb. 24. President Donald Trump issued an executive order Feb. 20 ending IEEPA tariffs after they were struck down by a Supreme Court decision.

A new across-the-board Section 122 tariff will then take effect at 12:01 a.m. ET Feb. 24, according to a recent proclamation signed by Trump that set the tariff at 10%.

Trump Says Tariffs Increased from 10% to 15%

President Donald Trump said in a social media post he is "raising the 10% Worldwide Tariff on Countries" up to the "fully allowed, and legally tested, 15% level." The rate change is "effecitive immediately," he said. After the Supreme Court ruled Feb. 20 the International Emergency Economic Powers Act doesn't allow use of tariffs, Trump put in place 10% tariffs under a different statute. "During the next short number of months, the Trump Administration will determine and issue the new and legally permissible Tariffs, which will continue our extraordinarily successful process of Making America Great Again," he said.

White House Releases Section 122 Tariff Proclamation, Includes In-Transit Exemption

The White House released its proclamation setting a 10% across-the-board Section 122 tariff for 150 days, until July 24, 2026. The proclamation includes an “in transit” provision exempting goods “loaded onto a vessel at the port of loading and in transit on the final mode of transit prior to entry” into the U.S. before 12:01 a.m. on Feb. 24, and entered before 12:01 a.m. Feb. 28. Annexes to the proclamations detail tariff schedule numbers for the 10% duty and its exemptions, as well as a list of some of the tariff subheadings exempt from the tariff.

10% Section 122 Tariff Takes Effect Feb. 24; IEEPA Tariffs to End, De Minimis Ban Stays

President Donald Trump on Feb. 20 issued a series of executive orders and proclamations setting a 10% across-the-board Section 122 tariff that takes effect Feb. 24 at 12:01 a.m., while directing an end to International Emergency Economic Powers Act tariffs “as soon as practicable” and keeping the current suspension of de minimis in place.

Goods that qualify for USMCA will be exempt from the Section 122 tariff, as will all goods subject to current or forthcoming Section 232 tariffs, the White House said in a fact sheet. The proclamation had not been released by the White House as of our press time.

Other exemptions from the reciprocal tariffs struck down by the Supreme Court will also be carried over to the 10% Section 122 tariff. That includes certain agricultural products, pharmaceuticals, electronics, passenger vehicles and medium and heavy trucks, aerospace products and informational materials, the fact sheet said.

Textiles and apparel that enter duty free from Central America Free Trade Agreement countries will also be exempt.

The executive order ending IEEPA tariffs directs federal agencies to “take all appropriate steps” to end the tariffs and end the collection of duties. It doesn't include an effective date for the end of tariff collection. Agencies may “consistent with applicable law,” including Section 301, “redelegate the authority to take such appropriate steps within the agency.”

Trump to Impose 10% Global Tariff Through Section 122 as IEEPA Replacement

President Donald Trump announced that he will be imposing a 10% global tariff through Section 122 as a replacement for tariffs imposed through the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, following the Supreme Court decision today striking down the IEEPA tariffs.

During a White House press briefing in the aftermath of his loss at the Supreme Court, Trump said that he will sign an executive order today "to impose a 10% global tariff under Section 122, over and above our normal tariffs already being charged."

He also said that his administration will be initiating "several Section 301 and other investigations to protect our country from unfair trading practices of other countries and companies."

He said he will not consult Congress to approve new tariff authorities.

SCOTUS Rules IEEPA Cannot Be Used to Impose Tariffs

The Supreme Court on Feb. 20 held that President Donald Trump can't use the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose tariffs. The court ruled 6-3 that the statute, which lets the president "regulate ... importation" to address an unusual or extraordinary threat, does not confer any tariff-setting authority. Chief Justice Roberts, writing for the majority on the issue of interpreting the statute, said that if Congress meant to give the president tariff authority under IEEPA, "it would have done so expressly, as it consistently has in other tariff statutes." The high court affirmed the decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, which sent the case back to the Court of International Trade to address whether the lower court can issue a "nationwide injunction" against tariffs imposed under IEEPA.

US to Set Apparel TRQ for Indonesia, Maintain 19% Reciprocal Tariff Under Trade Deal

The U.S. will maintain its 19% reciprocal tariff rate on Indonesia, but will set a tariff-rate quota for Indonesian textile and apparel goods to enter reciprocal tariff-free under a trade deal reached late Feb. 19.

Indonesia will in turn eliminate tariff barriers on “over 99% of U.S. products,” and reduce non-tariff barriers on U.S. goods, including by accepting FDA and motor vehicle safety standards, said a White House fact sheet.

It also committed to implementing a forced labor ban, and said it will adopt measures “with equivalent restrictive effect” as U.S. tariffs imposed for national security purposes. The U.S. in turn “may positively consider the effect that the Agreement has on national security,” including as it relates to Section 232 tariffs.

The agreement will take effect “90 days after the date on which the Parties have exchanged written notifications certifying completion of their applicable legal procedures or on such other date as the Parties may decide.”

US Removes 25% 'Russian Oil' Tariffs on India Effective Feb. 7

The U.S. will end the 25% tariff imposed on India for its purchases of Russian oil at 12:01 a.m. on Feb. 7, President Donald Trump said in an executive order issued late Friday.

The order said India has taken “significant steps” to address its purchases of Russian oil. The removal of the tariffs was part of a deal agreed between the U.S. and India on Feb. 2 that also provided for a reduction in the reciprocal tariff on India from 25% to 18%. The reciprocal tariff is unchanged by this executive order.

Effective on Feb. 7, subheadings 9903.01.84 through 9903.01.89 “are hereby terminated,” the order said. “To the extent that implementation of this order requires a refund of duties collected, refunds shall be processed pursuant to applicable law and the standard procedures of U.S. Customs and Border Protection for such refunds.”

The order directs the Commerce Department to “monitor whether India resumes directly or indirectly importing Russian Federation oil,” and contemplates reimposing the 25% tariff on India if Russian oil imports resume.

India IEEPA Tariffs Going From 50% to 18%

President Donald Trump posted on social media that after talking to Indian Prime Minister Nirendra Modi, he decided to drop the reciprocal tariffs on India to 18%.

A White House official said on background that the 25% emergency tariff imposed on top of the 25% reciprocal tariff will also be dropped as part of the deal.

"Out of friendship and respect for Prime Minister Modi and, as per his request, effective immediately, we agreed to a Trade Deal between the United States and India, whereby the United States will charge a reduced Reciprocal Tariff, lowering it from 25% to 18%. They will likewise move forward to reduce their Tariffs and Non Tariff Barriers against the United States, to ZERO," Trump wrote.

The White House did not clarify when an executive order would be signed so that the rate can be lowered.

Trump Establishes Process to Tariff Sellers of Oil to Cuba

President Donald Trump, in an executive order, said that "the policies, practices, and actions of the Government of Cuba constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat" to the U.S., and so he is using the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose tariffs on countries that directly or indirectly sell or give oil or oil products to Cuba.

He said such tariffs could begin at 12:01 a.m. Jan. 30, but the executive order also said the Commerce Secretary must determine if any country is making such sales after Jan. 30, and that "the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and the United States Trade Representative, shall determine whether and to what extent an additional ad valorem rate of duty should be imposed on goods that are products of the foreign country" that is selling or giving oil to Cuba.

"I will then consider the recommendation and finding, among other relevant things, in determining whether and to what extent to impose an additional ad valorem rate of duty on goods that are products of the country in question."

Indirectly sell is defined as "selling to or otherwise providing oil to Cuba through intermediaries or third countries, with knowledge that such oil may be provided to Cuba, as determined by the Secretary of Commerce."

Mexico has been the top provider of oil to Cuba since the U.S. removed Venezuela's president; reports say President Claudia Sheinbaum acknowledged that Mexico's Pemex oil company had decided not to send a shipment earlier in January.

Trump Says 232 and Reciprocal Tariffs to Return to 25% on Korean Goods

President Donald Trump said he is "increasing South Korean TARIFFS on Autos, Lumber, Pharma, and all other Reciprocal TARIFFS, from 15% to 25%" because that country's legislature has not approved the deal that was announced July 30.

"Our Trade Deals are very important to America. In each of these Deals, we have acted swiftly to reduce our TARIFFS in line with the Transaction agreed to. We, of course, expect our Trading Partners to do the same," he wrote.

Trump Withdraws Tariff Threat Over Greenland

President Donald Trump withdrew his threat of tariffs over Greenland in a social media post. "Based upon a very productive meeting that I have had with the Secretary General of NATO, Mark Rutte, we have formed the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland and, in fact, the entire Arctic Region. This solution, if consummated, will be a great one for the United States of America, and all NATO Nations. Based upon this understanding, I will not be imposing the Tariffs that were scheduled to go into effect on February 1st. Additional discussions are being held concerning The Golden Dome as it pertains to Greenland."

Trump Threatens 10% Tariff Feb. 1 on Some EU Countries, Norway, UK

President Donald Trump, in a social media post, said he will impose 10% tariffs on Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the U.K. the Netherlands and Finland starting Feb. 1, rising to 25% on June 1. He said the tariff will remain "until such time as a Deal is reached for the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland. The United States has been trying to do this transaction for over 150 years. Many Presidents have tried, and for good reason, but Denmark has always refused. Now, because of The Golden Dome, and Modern Day Weapons Systems, both Offensive and Defensive, the need to ACQUIRE is especially important."

Trump complained that "Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, The United Kingdom, The Netherlands, and Finland have journeyed to Greenland, for purposes unknown. This is a very dangerous situation for the Safety, Security, and Survival of our Planet."

Denmark always has a presence in Greenland, since it is a semi-autonomous territory, but the other countries have sent a few soldiers for exercises in response to Trump's saber rattling.

The social media post did not say if these tariffs are in addition to 10% International Economic Emergency Powers Act tariffs on the U.K. and 15% IEEPA tariffs on the EU countries and Norway.

However, it also left open the possibility the threat will not come to pass, because he ended the post saying, "The United States of America is immediately open to negotiation with Denmark and/or any of these Countries that have put so much at risk, despite all that we have done for them, including maximum protection, over so many decades."

Taiwan Gets 15% All-in IEEPA Rate, 15% for Auto Parts

Taiwanese auto parts and derivative goods subject to the lumber 232 actions will be subject to a 15% tariff, rather than the 25% rates applicable to most countries, the Commerce Department announced. The reciprocal tariff for Taiwan will also be cut, from 20% to 15%, inclusive of most-favored nation duties.

Taiwan's main export to the U.S. is semiconductors; the recent 232 action leaves the vast majority of chips untaxed, but said new rates could follow months from now.

The Commerce Department did not say what rate Taiwanese chips might face, but said that "Taiwanese companies building new U.S. semiconductor capacity may import up to 2.5 times that planned capacity without paying Section 232 duties during the approved construction period, with a lower preferential Section 232 rate for above-quota imports.

"Taiwanese companies who have completed new chip production projects in the United States will still be able to import 1.5 times their new U.S. production capacity without paying Section 232 duties."

There will be no reciprocal tariff on generic pharmaceuticals, their generic ingredients, aircraft components, and unavailable natural resources.

25% Tariffs Apply to Some Advanced Chips Beginning Jan. 15

Certain advanced chips -- including the NVIDIA H200 and AMD MI325X, a White House fact sheet said -- will be subject to 25% Section 232 tariffs starting Jan. 15, but a broad array of domestic uses of those chips are carved out from the action.

The tariffs will cover advanced microchips with specific parameters that are described in the annex to a presidential proclamation, but only when they are not going to be used "in United States data centers, for repairs or replacements performed in the United States, for research and development in the United States involving these chips, for startups in the United States, for non-data center consumer applications in the United States, for use in non-data center civil industrial applications in the United States, for use in United States public sector applications, or for other uses that the Secretary determines contribute to the strengthening of the United States technology supply chain or domestic manufacturing capacity for derivatives of semiconductors."

At a signing ceremony at the White House, the administration characterized the tariff as only applying to chips destined for customers outside the U.S.

However, the 232 investigation could result in tariffs on other products months from now. The proclamation says that the Commerce Secretary and U.S. Trade Representative will also undertake negotiations with countries that produce chips and chipmaking equipment, and if the administration is not satisfied that agreements with those countries will increase U.S. manufacturing in these sectors, "the [Commerce] Secretary recommended broader tariffs on semiconductors, at a rate of duty that is significant. The Secretary also recommended that this broader tariff be accompanied by a tariff offset program to enable companies investing in United States semiconductor production and certain parts of the United States semiconductor supply chain to obtain preferential tariff treatment."

Those agreements must be concluded within 180 days, the proclamation says.