US lawmakers urge Trump to enforce Graham's 'hell sanctions' on Russia and Iran
On Thursday, October 15, 22 US lawmakers urged President Donald Trump to impose the late Senator Lindsey Graham's package of "hell sanctions" against Russia and Iran. Only a few days remain before the decision deadline, Michael McCaul, chairman emeritus of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said.
According to the statement, the letter was signed by 22 members of Congress. They stressed that as Russia prepares to launch its fifth winter campaign against Ukraine, the United States has an opportunity to reinvigorate peace efforts by putting maximum pressure on Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and the "governments and networks" financing his war.
"We write to thank you for signing the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 into law, and to urge its full and faithful implementation by the first deadline on October 18. Utilizing the tools for economic pressure in this law will be decisive in forcing Putin to take peace talks seriously," the letter said.
October 18 is the deadline by which Trump must either impose sanctions or provide Congress with a written explanation of why he is not doing so yet.
Returning to the lawmakers' letter, they urged Trump to:
-
Fully enforce mandatory sanctions against Russian officials, oligarchs, banks, state-owned enterprises, and foreign entities helping Russia circumvent existing restrictions.
-
Impose secondary tariffs on major buyers of Russian energy to reduce revenue from oil and gas sales that continues to finance Russia's war. The main buyers are India and China.
-
Step up efforts to combat sanctions evasion, including by foreign financial institutions, shadow fleet operators, and intermediaries facilitating Russian energy transactions.
-
Protect US allies by applying exemptions and tariff adjustments to countries actively reducing their dependence on Russian energy.
-
Strengthen congressional oversight by providing detailed information on sanctions implementation, tariff justifications, and measurable indicators to assess their effectiveness.
The lawmakers therefore demanded that by October 18, the administration disclose which sanctions and tariffs would be imposed, whether any measures would be delayed or waived, and how the administration would assess their effectiveness.
In addition, the lawmakers expressed concern about a US-Russia diesel deal and strongly urged the administration to revoke the US Treasury Department's license.
Graham sanctions
Earlier, on the night of September 19, US President Donald Trump officially signed the Lindsey Graham sanctions bill targeting Russia. Following the move, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked Trump for taking this step.
For more details on what the Graham sanctions package entails, read the full report by RBC-Ukraine.
