US House passes Russia and Iran sanctions bill

The US House of Representatives has passed a sanctions bill targeting Russia and Iran, sending the measure to President Donald Trump after a 262–159 vote, according to NBC News. The 61-page package follows an earlier Senate vote and is named for Senator Lindsey O. Graham, who died in July.

NBC reports that the bill aims at Russia’s energy revenues by authorising penalties not only on Russian entities but also on major buyers of Russian oil and gas. The mechanism is blunt: it gives the president authority to impose tariffs on goods from countries that purchase significant volumes of Russian energy, a design that could pull third countries into the sanctions net. Analysts cited by NBC describe tariff ceilings that could reach 100%, replacing a previously floated figure that was even higher. There is also a carve-out for countries that are reducing dependence on Russian energy and whose imports remain below a specified share.

The legislation’s political story is as important as its text. NBC reports that some top House Democrats opposed the bill, warning that broad tariff authorities could be used by Trump for purposes beyond Russia policy. House Republican leadership framed the vote as a show of unity, while Ukraine-aligned advocacy groups described the passage as a signal that Congress intends to keep imposing costs on Moscow as the war continues.

In practice, the bill bets that trade pressure can rewire energy flows that have proven resilient through earlier rounds of restrictions. The largest buyers of discounted Russian energy have often been outside Europe, and the bill’s design assumes that threatening broader tariffs will be enough to change purchasing decisions that are driven by price and supply security. It also assumes the White House will choose to use the authority it is being handed, even as it expands presidential discretion in an area where Congress has often preferred to bind the executive.

The measure also extends sanction authority aimed at Iran’s weapons and energy sectors at Trump’s request, NBC reports, bundling two adversaries into one vote and making it harder for lawmakers to separate priorities. That packaging can speed passage, but it also means enforcement choices will be made inside the executive branch, case by case, with trade and diplomatic side-effects that will land far from Washington.

The bill now sits on Trump’s desk, with Congress having written a tool that only the president can pick up. The vote count is public; the tariff waivers and enforcement decisions will be quieter.