Russia Sanctions Bill: US Lawmakers Seek 100% Tariff on India

The Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, passed by the US Senate last month in a lopsided 86-11 vote is now with the House.

The Wire Staff

The Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, passed by the US Senate last month in a lopsided 86-11 vote is now with the House.

russia sanctions bill us lawmakers seek 100 tariff on india

Aqua Titan, a Russian crude oil tanker originally headed to China, was diverted to India and arrived off the Mangaluru coast in March. Photo: PTI.

New Delhi: Fresh amendments to the Russia sanctions Bill filed by US lawmakers have surfaced on Monday, after being released by the US House Rules Committee. The proposal names India, China and other major oil trading partners of Moscow as countries that could face additional tariff of up to 100%. If approved, the proposal will put New Delhi's oil purchases under pressure and strain India-US ties.

The Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, passed by the US Senate last month in a lopsided 86-11 vote is now with the House, which has just four legislative days before an early recess ahead of the November 3 midterm elections. If the Bill passes with the amendments, India would be among the countries that could face additional tariffs of up to 100%.

This is the first time that India would be named in such a Bill in the US. Other countries on which 100% duties would be imposed are Turkiye, Azerbaijan, Hungary, Slovak Republic, UAE, Singapore, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyz Republic.

Democratic Congressman Gregory Meeks has put forward an amendment to scrap Section 113 entirely, the provision granting the US president sweeping power to slap secondary tariffs on countries that trade with Russia. Three co-sponsors have signed Meeks's amendment.

Meeks has also floated a second amendment which gives the US president room to waive sanctions against a foreign individual for a 90-day stretch, renewable in further 90-day increments, provided doing so is "vital to the national security of the US."

Importantly, before anything reaches the president's desk for signature, the Bill has to be passed by the House of Representatives.

Last year, Trump slapped a 25% tariff on Indian goods as New Delhi continued to buy Russian crude oil at a discounted price. It was rolled back later as Free Trade Agreement (FTA) talks between the two countries moved forward. Russia remains India's largest oil supplier.

This article went live on September sixteenth, two thousand twenty six, at forty-five minutes past seven in the evening.

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