President Trump signs Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act

President Donald Trump signed the Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, which seeks to impose steep levies on Moscow and its top energy buyers such as China and India. “On Friday, September 18, 2026, the President signed into law: H.R. 5334, the “Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026,” which authorizes and expands statutory sanctions, tariffs, and prohibitions on Russia and extends existing sanctions on Iran,” the White House said in a statement, paving the way for increased economic pressure on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
The bill named after the late Republican senator, Lindsey Graham, who died in July, is aimed at depleting Russia’s ability to continue funding the war by targeting its natural gas and oil revenues, as well as countries that continue to buy Russian energy. The legislation imposes new sanctions on Russian political and military officials and foreign networks helping to supply Russia’s war machine and evade existing sanctions.
In addition, it targets Russia’s fleet of “shadow tankers”, which have allowed the country to continue to ship crude around the world despite existing sanctions on its energy exports. The Trump administration has previously been doubtful about imposing additional sanctions on Moscow but changed its stance after repeated attempts to end its four and a half year war against Ukraine have stalled.
The House of Representatives on Wednesday passed the Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, which seeks to impose sanctions on Russia's leadership and energy sector -- as well as on collaborators in Moscow's defence industry and its so-called shadow fleet.