Senate Votes 86-12 to Advance Graham's Russia-Iran Sanctions
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- The Senate voted 86-12 on a procedural motion to advance the Russia-Iran sanctions bill, with Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) the lone Republican vote against and only 12 total 'no' votes overall.
- The bipartisan bill, led by the late Sen. Lindsey Graham and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) with more than 60 cosponsors, would impose 100% secondary tariffs on countries continuing to buy Russian oil and gas and target Russia's sanctions-evading "shadow fleet" of aging tankers.
- The legislation was updated to renew sanctions on Iran that are set to expire at the end of the year, pairing Russia and Iran penalties in a single package.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Finnish President Alexander Stubb made the case for the sanctions and tariffs in a closed-door meeting, with Zelensky watching the vote from the Senate chamber afterward.
- President Trump had previously held the package up over tariff-authority concerns; Graham had been the lead negotiator with the White House, and after Graham's death Trump indicated he would work to get the bill done.
- Some Democrats were hesitant to support the bill over concerns about Trump's use of tariffs, even as leadership cited the lopsided margin as a path to expedited final passage.
Why it matters: An 86-12 procedural vote — with only Rand Paul dissenting — puts a bill Graham negotiated with the White House before his unexpected death on an expedited track toward final passage, pairing 100% secondary tariffs on countries still buying Russian energy with the renewal of expiring Iran sanctions in a single legislative vehicle.
