US House passes Russia and Iran sanctions bill with 100% tariffs on energy buyers

Congressional passage and vote breakdown

The United States House of Representatives approved the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 on Wednesday, recording 262 votes in favor and 159 against. The legislative action concludes seventeen months of congressional negotiations that began in April 2025, when the late Republican senator from South Carolina introduced the initial sanctions bill. Graham died on 11 July 2026 from a heart condition shortly after returning from Kyiv, where he announced White House backing for the compromise. The Senate approved the measure on 7 August 2026 by an 86 to 11 vote following direct appeals from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In the House, 152 Democrats voted against the package while 58 joined a nearly unified Republican majority. The bill now heads to the White House, where President Donald Trump is scheduled to sign the measure into law.

Energy penalties and secondary tariff provisions

The legislation establishes mandatory penalties targeting Russia's energy extraction, banking sector, and defense industries, as well as the maritime shadow fleet used to bypass existing oil price caps. Under the text, the White House receives authority to impose tariffs of up to 500% on direct imports from the Russian Federation. The statute also requires the administration within 30 days to apply import duties of up to 100% on the five largest foreign purchasers of Russian crude oil, the five largest buyers of Russian natural gas, and the five countries providing the greatest assistance in evading energy sanctions. The specific list of targeted importing nations must be recalculated every 180 days using updated trade figures. Additionally, the legislation extends the statutory framework governing United States financial sanctions on Iran through 2031.

Diplomatic provisions and allied exemptions

The text includes specific exemption criteria for trading partners whose imports account for less than 15% of Russian natural gas exports over any twelve-month period, or that take measurable steps to phase out purchases. Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal addressed these clauses during committee negotiations in July 2026.

Our European allies are not affected here.

Senate committee data identified China, India, Slovakia, Hungary, Azerbaijan, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Kazakhstan, and Singapore among the top energy buyers and transshipment hubs. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy traveled to Washington in July 2026 to attend Graham's funeral and observed Senate procedural votes from inside the chamber. Zelenskyy renewed his endorsement of the sanctions package during a public address ahead of the final House vote.

I thank everyone around the world who supports this approach and who knows that strength works.

Executive authority and Democratic dissent

House Democratic leaders opposed the legislation, arguing that White House attorneys drafted the text to expand presidential tariff powers while granting wide discretion to waive penalties against Moscow. Representative Gregory Meeks of New York, the ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, warned in a joint statement with fellow lawmakers that the bill would do more harm than good by enabling unilateral import taxes on trade partners. The legislation also institutes travel bans and asset freezes directly targeting Russian President Vladimir Putin and military officials directing the invasion of Ukraine. The vote takes place ahead of scheduled bilateral talks between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington next week, following previous 25% tariff levies placed on Indian goods linked to Russian crude imports.