diff --git a/cmd/tuf/app/init.go b/cmd/tuf/app/init.go
index e54d18c9..23f59e51 100644
--- a/cmd/tuf/app/init.go
+++ b/cmd/tuf/app/init.go
@@ -240,11 +240,6 @@ func InitCmd(ctx context.Context, directory, previous string,
 		}
 	}
 
-	// Reset and delegations: they will be updated in DelegationCmd.
-	if err := repo.ResetTargetsDelegationsWithExpires("targets", GetExpiration("targets")); err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-
 	if err := repo.SetThreshold("targets", threshold); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
@@ -254,6 +249,10 @@ func InitCmd(ctx context.Context, directory, previous string,
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
+	// We reset and delegations: they will be updated in DelegationCmd.
+	// TODO(https://github.com/theupdateframework/go-tuf/issues/402): replace
+	// with `repo.ResetTargetsDelegationsWithExpires` when this issue is resolved.
+	t.Delegations = nil
 	targetKeys, err := prepo.GetSigningKeyIDsForRole("targets", store)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
diff --git a/tests/e2e_test.go b/tests/e2e_test.go
index 037e2021..d6df8cd7 100644
--- a/tests/e2e_test.go
+++ b/tests/e2e_test.go
@@ -1056,10 +1056,7 @@ func TestDelegationsClearedOnInit(t *testing.T) {
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
-	if len(targets.Delegations.Roles) != 0 {
-		t.Errorf("Expected top-level targets delegation roles to be cleared")
-	}
-	if len(targets.Delegations.Keys) != 0 {
-		t.Errorf("Expected top-level targets delegation keys to be cleared")
+	if targets.Delegations != nil {
+		t.Errorf("Expected top-level targets delegations to be cleared")
 	}
 }