US House advances “hellish sanctions” bill targeting Russia and Iran

The US House of Representatives has cleared a key procedural hurdle for legislation that would give President Donald Trump broad authority to impose tariffs on countries purchasing Russian energy.

The Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 passed the procedural vote by a narrow 214–211 margin on September 15, paving the way for debate and a final vote in the House.

The legislation, named after the late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, would authorise the president to impose tariffs of up to 100% on major buyers of Russian oil and natural gas. The Senate passed the bill by an 86–11 vote on August 7 before sending it to the House.

The measure does not itself impose the tariffs. Instead, it would give the president authority to impose them on the five largest purchasers of Russian energy, potentially placing major Russian energy buyers at risk of steep additional duties.

House Democrats have raised objections to the tariff provisions, arguing that the bill would give Trump excessively broad authority over trade policy. Representative Gregory Meeks, the ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said the legislation would grant the president “sweeping new tariff authorities” while questioning whether it would produce additional sanctions on Russia.

The House debate also includes proposals to specify countries that could be subject to the secondary tariffs. One amendment would identify China, India, Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Hungary, Slovakia, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan as countries potentially eligible for duties of up to 100%.

The legislation also contains provisions concerning Iran. It would extend US sanctions authorities aimed at restricting financing for Iran's energy and defence sectors, maintaining economic pressure on Tehran beyond the existing expiration of some sanctions authorities.

The House is expected to proceed to a final vote after debate. If the legislation passes, it would move to the next stage of the legislative process before potentially reaching the White House.

By Vugar Khalilov