US President Donald Trump has mooted the idea of weaving in Iran into the proposed sanctions bill on Russia, championed by late Senator Lindsay Graham.
Trump's latest call signals a toughening of stance amid the renewed tensions in the Middle East as the US bombed Iran for eight straight nights in a row, and Tehran retaliated with strikes on Washington's Middle East allies.
In a Truth Social post on Sunday, Trump floated the idea to his peers in the Republican party. It wanted Iran included in the Russia sanctions bill as a token of appreciation for the deceased Senator.
"Republicans should add Iran to the Russian Sanctions Bill. That's what Lindsey wanted to do, and it was going to happen. IMPORTANT!!! President DJT," the post said.
The bill was first introduced in April 2025. It has been in the Congress as Trump reportedly sought to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine by making repeated overtures to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Graham had announced a breakthrough just before his death. The Senator had said a deal was reached with the White House to move forward on the package of Russia sanctions.
Trump's call to Republicans is to include Iran in the Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025. The move signals his tacit support for Ukraine, following Putin stubborn stance that offers no possibility of an end to Russia's war with Ukraine.
This latest version of the bill reportedly ratifies sanctions already imposed through executive orders, The Hill reported, adding this would make it much more difficult for a future president to quash it.
Such a step would further undermine the possibility of any rapprochement with Iran in the Middle East conflict. The Trump administration has already reinforced sanctions on Iran's oil trade.
The move is also seen in some quarters as dragging Russia, a backer of Tehran, to aid Iran in a more aggressive way, thwarting backroom efforts to bring back the warring parties to the negotiating table. A solid backing from Russia would further embolden Iran to make defiant military postures, harming the distant possibility of a truce to end the Middle East conflict.
The legislation, which would enable imposition of 100% secondary tariffs on countries that continue buying Russian oil and gas, now has enough backing to clear a Senate filibuster, Axios reported.
The June memorandum of understanding with Iran on talks to end the Middle East conflict had also hinted at a sanctions waiver for Tehran.
On Saturday, Trump said he "couldn't care less" about the memorandum of understanding, an indication that he has almost given up on a possible return to the negotiating table even as the Middle East conflict seems to flare-up. Washington has unleashed the eighth straight night of attacks on Iran. Tehran has retaliated with attacks on US allies in the region, including Qatar and Kuwait.
