US President Donald Trump intends to sign a sweeping sanctions bill targeting Russia and Iran, according to a White House official. The legislation has cleared both chambers of Congress and now awaits his signature.

The official confirmed that the President plans to sign the bill but did not provide a timeline for the enactment.

The measure, formally titled the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, passed the House of Representatives by 262 votes to 159 after having already cleared the Senate last month. It grants Trump discretionary authority to impose tariffs of up to 100% on countries continuing to purchase Russian oil and gas, including India and China. However, the bill does not automatically trigger such levies.

The legislation arrives at a sensitive juncture in US-India trade relations. In August, Washington imposed an additional 25% tariff on Indian goods linked directly to New Delhi’s Russian oil imports. This raised total levies on certain Indian exports to 50%, equivalent to nearly ₹41,500 crores in trade value at risk.

India’s Ambassador to the United States, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, defended the country’s energy policy following the bill’s passage. He described India’s energy sourcing as a fundamental national responsibility rather than a matter of geopolitical alignment.

Kwatra emphasised that India is the world’s fastest-growing major economy and its third-largest energy consumer, yet its per capita energy consumption remains far below the global average.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs stated that the government was monitoring developments closely. It reaffirmed its commitment to energy security through diversified sourcing and pledged to work with domestic trade and industry bodies to mitigate the fallout.

The bill’s passage coincides with legal challenges to Trump’s broader tariff agenda. In February, the US Supreme Court struck down a wider set of tariffs, and in May, a federal court invalidated a 10% blanket global tariff. Together, these rulings affected trade worth approximately ₹2,20,000 crores.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers has since introduced a separate resolution aimed at unwinding those measures, reflecting growing unease within Congress about the administration’s tariff strategy.

Meanwhile, negotiations between the US and India on a bilateral trade agreement are continuing. Further discussions are expected on the sidelines of the G20 Trade Ministers’ meeting in Wisconsin later this month.

The convergence of sanctions legislation, tariff disputes, and trade negotiations underscores the complexity of US-India economic relations at a time when Washington seeks to escalate pressure on Moscow while New Delhi prioritises affordable energy security.

ANI