The President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, signed an executive order on February 20, 2026, that ends the additional tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), including those related to the Executive Order 14380 against the Cuban government. This decision follows the Supreme Court ruling that declared most of the tariffs imposed under this regulation illegal.
The measure eliminates the tariff system approved just three weeks earlier, on January 29, which allowed for the imposition of an additional ad valorem tariff on any country that sold or supplied oil to Cuba, directly or indirectly.
Unlike traditional sanctions aimed directly at Havana, the order of January 29 designed a mechanism for indirect pressure. The scheme allowed for the imposition of tariffs on third countries that maintained energy trade with the island, a tool intended to further isolate the Cuban regime in the international market.
The new executive order signed on February 20 states that those additional tariffs will no longer be in effect and must cease to be collected "as soon as practicable." The relevant federal agencies must make the necessary adjustments to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to implement the decision.
However, the White House made it clear that the national emergency declared on January 29 regarding the government of Cuba remains in effect. The designation of "unusual and extraordinary threat" to the national security and foreign policy of the United States has not been revoked, and other actions taken under that declaration remain intact.
Other legal frameworks that support sanctions or trade restrictions, such as Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act or Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, are also not affected.
The decision was made on the same day the Supreme Court ruled, by six votes to three, that the IEEPA does not authorize the president to impose tariffs. In its ruling, the Court stated that the law allows for the “regulation” of foreign trade in emergency situations but does not grant explicit authority to impose taxes or general levies. The ruling retroactively invalidates the global tariffs that the administration had imposed under that statute.
Additionally, the removal of the oil tariff comes just days after Trump extended, on February 13, the national emergency that allows for the regulation of the financing and movement of vessels, including the possibility of stopping and inspecting U.S. and foreign ships heading to Cuba.
The measure, originally enacted in 1996 following the shooting down of the Brothers to the Rescue planes, was extended on the grounds that the Cuban government has not demonstrated that it will refrain from the excessive use of force and that a mass migration from the island could impact U.S. national security.
In practice, the sequence reflects a selective adjustment in Washington's strategy. On one hand, the legal framework for pressure against Havana remains in place, including the authority to control maritime traffic and the continuation of the national emergency. On the other hand, the trade mechanism aimed at punishing third countries that supplied oil to Cuba has been withdrawn.
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