The United States Senate approved on Friday the Lindsey O. Graham Act for Sanctions on Russia and Iran of 2026 with 86 votes in favor and 11 against, bringing an end to more than a year and a half of negotiations between Republicans and Democrats on how to increase economic pressure on Moscow and Tehran.
The legislation, spanning 61 pages, was renamed in honor of Republican Senator Lindsey Graham (South Carolina), the main proponent of the project who passed away in July at the age of 71 due to an aortic dissection.
His death galvanized bipartisan support and accelerated the approval of a measure that had been stalled since its introduction in April 2025.
The text authorizes the U.S. government to impose tariffs of up to 100% on the five largest importers of Russian crude oil, the five main buyers of Russian natural gas, and the countries that facilitate the evasion of existing energy sanctions. China, as the largest importer of Russian energy, would be the most exposed to these measures.
The law also includes primary and secondary sanctions against Russian officials, oligarchs, banks, and financial institutions, as well as against the so-called "ghost fleet" that Moscow uses to bypass existing restrictions.
The inclusion of Iran in the project was a late addition requested by President Donald Trump to prevent the existing sanctions against Tehran from expiring at the end of this year.
Under the new regulation, those restrictions on financing for the energy sector and Iranian armaments would be extended until 2031.
Before the final vote, the Senate rejected by 32-64 an amendment from Republican Senator Rand Paul (Kentucky) that would have removed the executive's authority to impose tariffs on buyers of Russian energy.
The Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock (Georgia) also raised similar objections but withdrew his own amendment after securing a written commitment from Trade Representative Jamieson Greer to establish safeguards, which Warnock described as “a small but significant victory for all Americans who have suffered under the reckless tariffs of this president.”
The Senate Majority Leader, John Thune (South Dakota), defended the necessity of the law: "As long as Putin has money from Russian oil and gas, he can continue this war. And what this sanctions bill would essentially do is cut that off."
The Democratic senator Richard Blumenthal (Connecticut), the lead sponsor on the Democratic side, recalled the last words Graham directed to him regarding the imminent approval: “This is a big damn deal. We nailed it. President Zelensky is watching from Ukraine. President Putin is watching from Moscow.”
The agreement on the final text was announced on July 28 by Senator Darline Graham (South Carolina), sister and designated successor of Lindsey Graham, along with a bipartisan group that included Senators Blumenthal, Katie Britt, Jeanne Shaheen, Roger Wicker, and Jim Risch.
The Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, who had attended Graham's funeral in Washington, met with most of the senators and personally advocated for the passage of the law.
The project now moves to the House of Representatives, where it faces an uncertain future: congress members are on their August recess and will not resume their work until the 31st of the month, meaning the processing of the bill will be on hold until then.
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