A sweeping Russia and Iran sanctions bill named for the late South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham cleared Congress this week and is headed to President Donald Trump’s desk for signature.
The U.S. House passed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 on Wednesday, Sept. 16, on a 262-159 vote. The bill had already passed the Senate 86-11 last month. The White House has said Trump intends to sign it into law. The measure runs 61 pages and was named in honor of Graham, the longtime Republican senator from South Carolina, following his unexpected death in July. Graham had been one of the most vocal proponents in Congress of tightening economic pressure on Moscow.
The bill targets Russia’s energy sector and the largest foreign buyers of Russian oil and gas, and gives the president authority to impose tariffs of up to 100% on goods from countries that are among the top five importers of Russian-origin crude oil or natural gas if those countries make new purchases after enactment. That authority replaces a blanket 500% tariff written into a 2025 version of the legislation with a more measured framework, and includes a carve-out for countries taking significant steps to reduce dependence on Russian energy whose imports amount to less than 15% of Russia’s annual natural gas exports. The bill also imposes visa- and property-blocking sanctions on Russian government officials, oligarchs, some family members and Russian financial institutions, and it extends and expands existing sanctions authority against Iran.
Sponsors described the bill as an effort to slash the revenue streams funding Russia’s ongoing war on Ukraine, which began in 2022. Under the House-passed text, the tariff authority can reach countries including China and India if either is among the top five purchasers of Russian energy. The legislation, formally H.R. 5334 in the 119th Congress, was reported by the House Committee on Ways and Means and cleared the House after a Sept. 14 committee meeting. Under South Carolina law, Graham’s Senate seat is being filled through a separate succession process by the state’s congressional delegation and Gov. Henry McMaster.
