New York : United States is ready to punish countries for buying Russian oil and gas, with new sanctions and tariffs of up to 100 per cent hanging over Moscow’s energy customers, which includes India and China. The Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, which cleared the US House of Representatives on Wednesday, gives President Donald Trump authority to impose tariffs of up to 100 per cent on goods from countries that continue buying Russian-origin crude oil or natural gas or help Moscow evade sanctions.
The legislation requires the US President to implement existing restrictions on uranium imports from Russia, including uranium supplied by Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation and its subsidiaries. At the same time, another section of the bill says the sanctions will not apply to activities carried out under US-Russia civilian nuclear cooperation agreements or to certain imports of low-enriched uranium used by nuclear reactors.
One says the sanctions title does not apply to activities conducted under a US-Russia civilian nuclear cooperation agreement made under Section 123 of the Atomic Energy Act. Another exempts certain imports of low-enriched uranium for nuclear reactors covered by existing US law, as well as some medical-isotope imports for which a waiver has been issued.That means the bill does not amount to a blanket cutoff of every nuclear transaction involving Russia.
US civilian nuclear operators received 12.71 million Separative Work Units (SWU) of enrichment services in 2025. Russia accounted for 3.284 million SWU, or about 26 per cent of the total. US-origin enrichment accounted for 23 per cent, with France, the UK and the Netherlands also supplying enrichment services. Nuclear fuel is different from crude oil. Uranium must pass through several stages, including conversion and enrichment, before it can be used in most commercial reactors. Russia developed a large enrichment industry, giving its nuclear sector an important position in the global fuel market.
The nuclear provisions sit alongside much steep measures targeting Russian officials, financial institutions, oligarchs, the energy sector and shadow fleet of tankers used to evade sanctions. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee said the legislation was intended to hold major purchasers of Russian oil and gas accountable for supporting Moscow’s war in Ukraine. The House passed the bill 262-159, with 58 Democrats joining most Republicans in supporting it. The Senate had approved it 86-11.
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