Trump Signs Sanctions Law Named for Late Senator Lindsey Graham

President Trump on Friday signed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, a bill that expands sanctions on Moscow, authorizes steep tariffs on countries that keep buying Russian energy, and extends the Iran Sanctions Act for five years, according to CBS News and the Kyiv Independent. The law is named for the South Carolina Republican who spent more than a year pushing it and who died suddenly in July at age 71.

The measure lets the president impose tariffs of up to 100% on the five largest purchasers of Russian oil and natural gas, CBS News reported. The Kyiv Independent, citing the text of the law, said the duties would apply to countries that knowingly make new purchases of Russian crude or gas and were among the top five importers over the prior 12 months, and to the top five facilitators of efforts to evade Russian oil sanctions, with the president required to act within 30 days. It also described authority for duties of up to 500% on goods imported from Russia, subject to statutory exceptions. The president may waive any of the penalties by certifying to Congress that doing so is in the national interest, the Kyiv Independent reported.

The law also widens sanctions on Russian President Vladimir Putin, government officials, oligarchs, banks and state-controlled entities, according to CBS News, and on vessels used to dodge existing restrictions, according to the Kyiv Independent. CBS News said it extends sanctions on Iran’s energy and weapons sectors.

China and India, the largest buyers of Russian crude oil, would be hit hardest if the tariffs were applied, CBS News reported. The signing comes as Mr. Trump prepares to host Chinese President Xi Jinping at the White House on Sept. 24, CBS News said. The waiver gives the president wide discretion over whether and when to use the tariffs.

Congress passed the bill with bipartisan support. The Senate passed it 86-11 in August and the House approved it 262-159 on Sept. 16, according to the Kyiv Independent. Some Democrats objected to the breadth of the tariff authority it gives the president, CBS News and the Kyiv Independent reported. The bill’s backers, including Mr. Graham before his death, wanted a stronger economic lever against Moscow as the war in Ukraine continues with no clear end, CBS News reported.

CBS News noted that early in the U.S. war with Iran, the administration temporarily allowed purchases of Russian oil already at sea, because the conflict created a global oil crunch that initially benefited Russia. Earlier this month, Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff visited Mr. Putin in Moscow and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv. Mr. Trump has said of the stalled peace effort that “the holdup is two people that hate each other,” CBS News reported.

Mr. Zelensky welcomed the signing. “The best way to honor Lindsey’s memory will be the full and swift implementation of the provisions of this law,” he said, according to the Kyiv Independent. Mr. Graham died a day after meeting Mr. Zelensky in Kyiv, the outlet reported, and Mr. Trump delivered the eulogy at his funeral, CBS News said.

How aggressively the White House uses its new powers is now the open question. The law sets deadlines but leaves the decision to apply the tariffs, and against whom, largely to the president.