US Senate Passes Russia-Iran Sanctions Bill Promoted by Late Trump Ally Senator Graham

The U.S. Senate has passed a bill strengthening sanctions against Russia and Iran, which was strongly pushed by the late Senator Lindsey Graham, a close confidant of U.S. President Donald Trump who recently passed away.

The Senate held a plenary session and passed the bill by an overwhelming vote of 86 to 11, sending it to the House of Representatives.

Senator Graham, who led hardline stances against America's adversaries including Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea, had pursued strong sanction legislation against Russia during his lifetime to support Ukraine.

Following his death, provisions extending Iran sanctions were added to the bill, and its official name was changed to the Lindsey O. Graham Russia and Iran Sanctions Act of 2026 to honor his legacy.

The bill's primary content includes comprehensive economic sanctions against Russia.

It bans the export of U.S. energy and products to Russia and is designed to impose ultra-high tariffs of up to 500% on all Russian products imported into the United States.

It includes measures to deny U.S. visas and freeze assets for President Vladimir Putin, specific military commanders, and any foreign individuals or entities that intentionally provide goods or services related to Russia's defense industrial base.

It also bans Americans and U.S. companies from making new investments in Russia, purchasing Russian sovereign debt, and trading securities of entities owned, controlled, or affiliated with the Russian government on U.S. stock exchanges.

Notably, the bill includes a provision to impose secondary tariffs of up to 100% on products exported to the U.S. by the top five importers of Russian energy and the top five countries helping Russia evade energy sanctions.

The bill also extends the expiration of the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996 to 2031 to cut off Iran's funding sources and its external supply of weapons.

The passage of this bill is expected to provide a significant boost to Ukraine, which is struggling to fend off the Russian invasion as the war enters its fourth year.

Additionally, major purchasers of Russian crude oil such as China and India could suffer massive blows, raising prospects of pushback.

However, the bill grants the president the authority to waive sanctions if it is determined that tariff-based sanctions do not serve U.S. national interests or would prove fatal to relations with allies.

The bill will now move to the House of Representatives for review, where the Republican Party holds the majority.

However, because it grants broader tariff powers to President Trump, the opposition Democratic Party is pushing back, leading to projections that passing the House will not be easy and some clauses may be revised.

(Photo: Getty Images)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.