Trump signs Russia and Iran sanctions law authorizing 100% tariffs on energy buyers

Legislative passage and enactment

On 18 September 2026, US President Donald Trump signed into law the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026. The White House announced the signing two days after the 48-page measure passed the House of Representatives in a 262-159 bipartisan vote on 16 September 2026. The legislation previously passed the Senate in August 2026. The statute honors the late South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who died at age 71 on 11 July 2026 from an aortic dissection following a diplomatic trip to Kyiv.

He died doing the work he was born to do.

Tariffs on Russian goods and top energy importers

The new law provides the US executive branch with authority to levy a blanket tariff of 500% on Russian goods imported into the United States. In addition, the president is empowered to apply tariffs of up to 100% on goods from the top five buyers of Russian crude oil and natural gas. The measure targets purchasing countries such as China and India, which have maintained high volumes of energy trade with Moscow. The legislation grants the president discretionary power over the execution of these tariffs rather than mandating automatic enforcement upon enactment.

Data on Russian crude flows and statutory exemptions

Data from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air details the destination of Russian seaborne crude exports from the European embargo in December 2022 through August 2026. During this timeframe, China accounted for 50% of Russian crude exports, while India received 37%. Turkey and the European Union each accounted for approximately 5% of exports. The statute includes exemptions for countries that import less than 15% of their natural gas requirements from Russia and demonstrate progress in reducing that dependence, while also granting the president national security waiver authority.

Sanctions targeting defense, finance, and the shadow fleet

Beyond import duties, the statute enacts direct sanctions against Russian President Vladimir Putin, senior Kremlin officials, defense companies, and financial institutions. A central target of the legislation is Russia's shadow fleet of maritime tankers, which operates outside Western insurance regimes to transport oil and bypass existing price restrictions. At the request of the Trump administration, congressional sponsors incorporated provisions targeting Iran's energy and weapons sectors into the legislation as part of the compromise to advance the bill. The White House had previously expressed doubt over additional sanctions, but revised its stance after negotiations to end the four-and-a-half-year conflict stalled.

Congressional debate and Ukrainian reaction

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky praised the passage of the bill, addressing the timing of the vote in the House of Representatives.

It is symbolic that the US House of Representatives' passage of Lindsey Graham's sanctions bill took place on the night of yet another Russian attack on Ukraine involving ballistic missiles, other missiles, and drones.

During the legislative debate, Democratic lawmakers opposed the scale of discretionary tariff authority granted to the executive branch. Opponents noted that the authority allows tariffs that could remain in effect beyond the current presidency and referenced earlier legal challenges surrounding the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act.