New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday said the Centre has taken note of the passage of the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 in the US Congress and is monitoring further developments on the matter.
As stated on several earlier occasions, India remains firmly committed to ensuring energy security for its 1.4 billion people. It will continue to do so through diversified sourcing and on the basis of evolving market dynamics, the MEA said.
Our statement on passage of the Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act in the US Congress
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— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) September 17, 2026
MEA Says India Will Address Implications
The MEA said the Centre will work with Indian trade and industry bodies to deal with the implications of the Russia sanctions legislation.
The development comes as the US House of Representatives passed a bill that would authorise President Donald Trump to impose sanctions on Russia and steep tariffs on its trading partners in oil and gas, including India and China.
Known as the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, the bill was passed by the US Senate last month and was approved by the House in a 262-159 vote on Wednesday evening. It will now go to Trump for his consideration.
Who Voted for the Russia Sanctions Legislation?
Apart from 203 Republicans, 58 Democrats and one Independent voted in favour of the legislation. Seven Republicans and 152 Democrats opposed it.
The Democratic opposition largely centred around the tariff authorities provided to Trump.
The new bill is named after Senator Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina Republican who died in July after spending more than a year building support for it.
“What we’re not for is giving more tariff authority to this president,” Congressman Richard Neal, a Democrat, said during debate on the bill.
The legislation seeks to impose sanctions not only on Russia’s leadership and energy sector, but also on the “shadow fleet” of vessels that enable Moscow to evade sanctions on oil deliveries.
Bill Seeks Tariff Powers Against China, India
The new bill also seeks to authorise Trump to impose stiff tariffs on China, India and other countries to reduce their dependence on Russian oil and gas, along with additional sanctions on Iran.
“China and India, you better buy your oil and gas somewhere else,” Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal told reporters after the passage of the bill.
The passage of the bill comes days ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s official visit to the US.
The Senate had overwhelmingly passed the bill by a vote of 86-11 last month, but momentum slowed in the House. The House vote came on the final day that the chamber was expected to be in session for votes before the November 3 elections.
The vote took place as pro-Ukraine groups stepped up efforts to lobby support for their cause. The Ukraine Action Summit, organised by the American Coalition for Ukraine, is underway to lobby US lawmakers for continued support for Kyiv.