Sanctions — 2026-09-19

US House Passes First Major Russia Oil Sanctions in Two Years With Tariffs Up to 100 Percent on Buyers

BLUFPassage hands Trump discretionary tariff authority he can deploy or withhold as leverage, making India and China's Russian crude purchases a live bargaining chip in any Ukraine settlement.

The US House passed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 on Wednesday, sending it to President Trump's desk after the Senate approved it 86–11 on August 7 12. The bill authorizes tariffs of up to 100 percent on the top five purchasers of Russian energy, military equipment, or sanctions-evasion facilitation, and up to 500 percent on direct Russian imports to the US, invoking the International Emergency Economic Powers Act 23. It also sanctions Putin and more than 20 senior officials and defense-linked entities, targets Russia's shadow fleet of oil tankers, and extends the Iran Sanctions Act through 2031 2. China and India, which together buy roughly 87 percent of Russian crude exports per CREA data, would face the heaviest exposure. India's Ministry of External Affairs said it has raised the issue with US officials and will "take all necessary measures to protect its trade and economic interests," while China's foreign ministry spokesperson called the tariffs a violation of international law lacking UN authorization 3. The administration has formally supported the legislation, and the president's advisers have indicated he will sign it 2.

Analysis
Passage shifts decision-making from Congress to the White House: the bill hands Trump discretionary tariff authority he can wield, delay, or trade as leverage against Moscow, Beijing, and New Delhi rather than imposing tariffs itself, while conditioning any future sanctions relief on a Kyiv-accepted peace deal subject to congressional review. Independent reporting from the sponsoring office, the Washington Post, and Al Jazeera converges on the statutory detail without shared-wire reliance. India's objection and China's legal rebuttal suggest both governments expect selective rather than blanket enforcement, a bet shaped by the tight crude market Iran's Hormuz disruption has created. The tariff authority may function chiefly as diplomatic pressure rather than near-term trade action, since advisers have signaled only intent to sign, not to activate it against any specific buyer.

4 sources

House passes bill to add economic sanctions on Russia via tariffs - Washington Post
Fitzpatrick Helps Secure Final Passage of Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act - Office of Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick
US tariffs against Russian oil buyers pass: What it means for China, India - Al Jazeera
US House passes first major Russia oil sanctions in two years - Euromaidan Press