US Senate Moves to Sanction Buyers of Russian, Iranian Oil; India, China in Crosshairs

The United States Senate has voted overwhelmingly to fast-track a bill that would authorise President Donald Trump to impose sanctions on major buyers of oil from Russia and Iran, including India and China. The vote, which saw 86 senators in favour and 12 against, advanced the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, named after the late Senator from South Carolina who passed away on July 11.

The cloture motion, a procedural step to limit debate before a final vote, was invoked on Tuesday (July 28, 2026). The vote took place shortly after senators met with visiting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who was in Washington D.C. for Senator Graham's funeral service. Mr. Zelenskyy observed the proceedings from the Senate gallery.

The bill, which has 62 co-sponsors in the 100-member Senate, is a bipartisan effort. Republican Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi, chairman of the Armed Services Committee, stated before the vote: "The Lindsey Graham sanctions bill will advance the cause of freedom, and it will combat Vladimir Putin's war machine."

Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, who co-authored the Russia sanctions portion with the late Senator Graham, said the bill empowers the president to impose tariffs of up to 100 per cent on the five largest purchasers of Russian oil and gas. He explicitly identified China and India as targets, stating: "It is carefully crafted to make sure we are not hitting our allies and that we are hitting China and India. Let's be really blunt. China and India are the main culprits here. They purchase the vast majority of oil and gas, they are fuelling Russia's war machine and they are doing us no favours anywhere else in the world."

While the bill is expected to pass in the Senate, it faces potential resistance in the House of Representatives. Democratic lawmakers there are reluctant to expand President Trump's tariff authority. House Ways and Means ranking member Richard Neal and Senate Finance ranking member Ron Wyden issued a joint statement warning: "It is extremely dangerous to give Trump massive new tariff powers, particularly after we've seen the disastrous impacts of his corrupt, chaotic, and inflationary tariff spree."

The legislation, formally titled the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, would impose primary and secondary sanctions against Russia and actors supporting its war in Ukraine. It targets Russian officials, oligarchs, their family members, foreign persons, Russian banks and financial institutions, as well as the so-called Russian Shadow Fleet—a network of vessels used to evade existing sanctions.

Section 113 of the bill specifically targets the five countries that purchase the largest volumes of Russian fuel or facilitate sanctions evasion through shadow fleets. Those countries—currently China, India, Slovakia, Hungary, and Azerbaijan—would face additional 100 per cent tariffs on their goods exported to the United States. The U.S. Trade Representative would reassess the list every 180 days to adjust tariff rates based on changes in purchasing behaviour.

Regarding Iran, the legislation extends the Iran Sanctions Act for an additional five years, keeping critical secondary restrictions in place until 2031. The bill also includes a five-year sunset clause limiting the new tariff authority, ensuring the powers do not become permanent.

The bipartisan group of senators behind the bill expressed pride in the agreement, stating it would "stop purchasers of Russian oil and gas from fuelling Putin's war machine" and "continue restricting the Iranian regime's ability to support terrorism and build its nuclear programme."