US Senate passes sweeping Russia-Iran sanctions bill, sends it to House

The US Senate has passed sweeping sanctions legislation targeting Russia and Iran, advancing a bill that had been stalled for over a year. The final vote was 86 to 11, with the chamber applauding as the tally was read out by Darline Graham, the sister of the late Senator Lindsey Graham, who was appointed to fill his seat.

The bill, named the "Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026," aims to increase economic pressure on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine. It also includes expanded sanctions on Iran. The measure now moves to the House of Representatives, where it could be considered as soon as next month.

A key provision of the legislation grants the president authority to impose tariffs of up to 100% on countries that are major consumers of Russian energy, including India, Japan, and some European Union nations. The president would have discretion to lift these tariffs. Backers argue the tariffs are narrowly targeted to reduce Russian energy revenue without broader negative consequences.

Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the tariffs have one purpose: to make it more costly for countries to keep buying Russian energy that funds the war. The bill limits the tariffs to the five largest importers of Russian crude oil or gas and the top five countries that aid Russia's sanctions evasion.

Senate Republican leaders had not brought the bill up for a vote earlier due to resistance from President Donald Trump, who had kept sanctions decisions at the White House. Graham announced shortly before his death on July 11 that he and Trump had agreed to move forward with the legislation.

Only one Senate Republican, Rand Paul of Kentucky, voted against the bill. The Senate rejected an amendment from Paul and Democratic Senator Ron Wyden that would have removed the tariff powers. Paul likened tariffs to taxes on American consumers, saying that increasing taxes on Americans will not end the war in Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who attended Graham's funeral and met with Trump, watched an early procedural vote on the bill last week. He said the legislation would hit Russia's ability to finance the war and send a powerful signal of US support.

House passage is not guaranteed, as some lawmakers are wary that new tariff powers could raise costs for US importers and consumers while exposing Republicans to political blowback. Trump's fellow Republicans hold slim majorities in both chambers.