86 Senators Advance Graham's Russia-Iran Sanctions Bill
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- The Senate voted 86-12 to advance the Russia-Iran sanctions bill, with Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) the lone Republican opposed, in a procedural step leadership hopes accelerates final passage.
- Graham and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) led the legislation, which attracted more than 60 co-sponsors this month before Graham's unexpected death.
- The bill would impose 100% secondary tariffs on countries still purchasing Russian oil and gas, target Russia's aging tanker 'shadow fleet' used to evade sanctions, and renew expiring Iran sanctions.
- Zelenskyy and Finnish President Alexander Stubb personally urged senators to pass the package, arguing Russia is in a losing position; Zelenskyy watched the vote from the Senate chamber.
- Some Democrats held back over concerns about Trump's tariff authority, while the White House had previously delayed the package for months until Trump signaled post-Graham that he would sign it.
Why it matters: The 86-12 procedural vote clears a path to final passage of secondary tariffs on countries buying Russian energy — a direct economic pressure campaign against Moscow's war funding — while also locking in renewed Iran sanctions that were set to lapse at year-end. The rare defection pattern (one GOP no, some Democrats hedging on tariff powers) reveals the bill's remaining fault line is executive trade authority, not Russia policy itself.
