Trump urges Republicans to add Iran to Russia sanctions

President Donald Trump on Sunday, July 19, 2026, called on congressional Republicans to expand a major bipartisan sanctions bill targeting Russia to also include Iran, injecting a new element into already tense U.S. foreign policy debates. The president made the request in a post on his Truth Social platform, invoking the late Senator Lindsey Graham, who championed the original legislation.

"Republicans should add Iran to the Russian Sanctions Bill. That's what Lindsey wanted to do, and it was going to happen. IMPORTANT!!!" Trump wrote.

The legislation, formally titled the Senator Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026, is a revised bill backed by a bipartisan coalition of over 60 senators. It aims to choke off revenue for Russia's war effort by imposing economic penalties on countries and entities that purchase Russian energy or help Moscow evade existing sanctions. Key provisions include tariffs of up to 100% on the largest purchasers of Russian crude oil and natural gas, sanctions targeting vessels used to bypass sanctions, and measures aimed at limiting Chinese support for Russia's defense industry. The bill represents a scaled-down version of an earlier proposal...