President Trump signed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 into law Friday, a bipartisan bill that hands him broad new authority to punish countries and companies still doing business with Moscow's oil and gas sector, according to CBS News.

The measure passed the Senate 86-11 in August before clearing the House 262-159 earlier this week — lopsided, bipartisan margins that reflect rare Capitol Hill consensus on ratcheting up pressure over Russia's war in Ukraine, per NBC News.

Tariffs as a Weapon

At the center of the law is a provision letting the president slap tariffs of up to 100% on goods from any country found to be buying Russian crude oil or natural gas, or otherwise helping Moscow dodge existing sanctions. The bill also directly targets Russian officials, banks, defense-linked companies, and what U.S. officials call Russia's "shadow fleet" — aging tankers used to move sanctioned oil while masking its origin — and separately extends the Iran Sanctions Act for another five years, according to RFE/RL.

SANCTIONS AS "AN IMPORTANT TOOL TO PRESSURE RUSSIA TOWARDS PEACE."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed the legislation, framing the tougher sanctions regime as leverage that could eventually push Moscow toward negotiations. The bill carries the name of Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who has spent more than three years pushing colleagues toward tougher action against Russia's energy exports, arguing that oil and gas revenue — not battlefield resupply — is what keeps the Kremlin's war machine funded.

Not Without Critics

The law didn't pass without pushback. Some lawmakers in both parties raised concerns during floor debate about handing the executive branch such wide-reaching tariff authority, warning that a 100% tariff threat aimed at Russia's oil customers — several of which are major U.S. trading partners — could ripple into higher costs for American consumers and strain relationships Washington needs intact for other priorities.

How aggressively the administration actually wields the new tariff power now becomes the central question. The law gives Trump discretion rather than a mandate, meaning enforcement could range from targeted sanctions on specific shipping networks to a much broader tariff campaign against countries still buying Russian energy.