U.S. Senate Advances Sanctions Package Against Russia, Iran

The U.S. Senate has advanced a new sanctions package against Russia and Iran, clearing the first procedural hurdle towards final consideration of the bill. The legislation, sponsored by the late Senator Lindsey Graham, was voted on by 86 senators in favor of advancing it on July 28.

A bipartisan group of senators previously reached an agreement on the bill, which would grant President Donald Trump the authority to tighten restrictions on major buyers of Russian and Iranian oil and gas. The legislation was championed for years by Senator Graham, who co-authored the bill with Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal.

Trump has already signaled his support for the legislation, which includes a 500% tariff on imports from countries that continue buying Russian oil and other raw materials. However, some senators have cautioned against delaying the process of passing the bill, with Senator Blumenthal stating 'We must move forward with this bill, rather than opening it up to other potential targets.'