Senate Advances Bipartisan Sanctions Bill Targeting Russia and Iran

The United States Senate voted on July 28, 2026, to advance the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026. The bipartisan legislation grants Donald Trump expanded authority to impose 100% tariffs on the five largest global buyers of Russian crude oil and natural gas, as well as the five countries most involved in sanctions evasion, specifically targeting China and India. The bill also authorizes a blanket 500% tariff on all Russian imports for five years.

To secure passage, negotiators combined the Russia sanctions with an extension of the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996 through 2031, maintaining secondary sanctions on non-American companies trading with Iran. The vote occurred in Washington on the day of the funeral for Senator Lindsey Graham, who served as the chief negotiator for the measure. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attended the proceedings to observe the vote.

While the bill has strong support, some Democratic senators raised concerns regarding the expanded executive power. Senator Ron Wyden criticized the tariff provisions as dangerous. Procedural vote tallies varied across reports, with one source citing 72-5 and another reporting 86-12. The legislation cannot become law until September at the earliest due to the House of Representatives' August recess.