US Senate Passes Sweeping Russia Energy Sanctions Bill, the "Graham Act," 86 to 11
Aug 8, 2026
The US Senate passed a sweeping sanctions package targeting Russia's energy revenues by a vote of 86 to 11 on Friday, August 7, 2026 (16 Mordad 1405). According to Al Jazeera, the bill, dubbed the "Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026," sets 100 percent tariffs on major importers of Russian oil and gas and targets clandestine maritime networks used to evade Western embargoes. It now heads to the House of Representatives, which is not expected to vote before early September due to the congressional summer recess.
The bill is named for Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who died on July 11 after announcing, a day earlier, that the White House had agreed to advance new sanctions on Russian hydrocarbons. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed the vote, while some House members raised concerns over the unrestrained tariff authority the bill grants President Trump.
Source
Al Jazeera
Related news
Brent Crude Hits Highest Level Since July as Kpler Data Shows Thin Hormuz Traffic
According to Al Jazeera on Sunday, September 6, 2026 (15 Shahrivar 1405), Brent crude futures closed Friday, September 4 (13 Shahrivar) at $96.28 a barrel, their highest level since July 24 and up from roughly $70 before the Iran-US war began. Sahmino's own live price data still showed this level holding as of Sunday afternoon. Al Jazeera also reported that US diesel hit a record $5.85 a gallon ($1.55 a liter) on Friday, its highest price ever. Citing data from shipping analytics firm Kpler, Al Jazeera reported that despite US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's claim that 17 million barrels of oil a day are moving through the Strait of Hormuz, actual vessel traffic is far lower: just six vessels crossed the strait on Wednesday, 11 on Tuesday and five on Monday, with a 10 day average of only 13 vessels a day. The data emerged as the US and Iran escalated tit for tat strikes on oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz and the Sea of Oman in recent days.
Al Jazeera · Sep 6, 2026
Trump Turns to Venezuelan Oil to Refill US Strategic Petroleum Reserve
According to a Wall Street Journal report carried by Ecoiran via Entekhab, US President Donald Trump said he plans to use Venezuelan oil, which Washington will access under a deal with a private company, to refill the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR). The move follows earlier complaints from US Energy Secretary Chris Wright that the Republican led Congress has refused to allocate the billions of dollars needed to refill the reserve. The report said the US has already drawn down more than 128 million barrels from the SPR's underground salt caverns on the Gulf of Mexico coast, leaving the reserve at its lowest level since the fall of 1982. A White House official said the US could add 50 million barrels a year to the reserve if the partner company expands its operations as planned. Joseph Majkut, an energy expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), described the deal as a mechanism to both revive Venezuela's oil industry and bring oil into the United States.
Ecoiran, citing Entekhab and The Wall Street Journal · Sep 6, 2026
IRGC Navy Strikes US Unmanned Surface Vessel in Strait of Hormuz
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy said in its official statement No. 11, issued early on Sunday, September 6, 2026 (15 Shahrivar 1405), that it struck a US Army Shampad, an unmanned, remotely operated surface vessel, that had attempted to enter the protected zone of the Strait of Hormuz. The statement, carried by IRNA and Donya-e-Eqtesad, said the Strait of Hormuz is under the management of the Islamic Republic of Iran and that any hostile movement by the United States will be met with a decisive response from the IRGC Navy, calling on US forces to leave the region. The strike came hours after US Central Command announced it had hit three Iranian oil tankers, amid escalating military tension between the two countries in the strait.
Donya-e-Eqtesad, citing IRNA · Sep 6, 2026
Centcom Disables Three Iranian Oil Tankers, IRGC Confirms Missile Strike on US Carrier and Destroyer
US Central Command (Centcom) said on the night of Saturday, September 5, 2026 (14 Shahrivar 1405), that it struck three tankers linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in response to IRGC ballistic missiles fired at a US aircraft carrier and a destroyer. Centcom said the tankers M/T Downy, near Kharg Island, and M/T Stark 1, near Jask, were permanently disabled, while M/T Kylo, unladen and outside the Persian Gulf, was completely destroyed after being hit multiple times. Centcom commander Vice Admiral Brad Cooper warned that for every two US ships fired upon, three Iranian vessels would be destroyed. Reuters, citing Tasnim, and CNN reported that US forces gave the Stark 1 crew a 10 minute warning to evacuate before striking the tanker's stern, and CNN said it verified an audio recording of the warning. The IRGC, in its official statement No. 10, said its aerospace force fired several ballistic missiles at the carrier and destroyer, which it said had been harassing Iranian vessels as part of a naval blockade, forcing both warships to flee. Iran's Foreign Ministry called the US strikes illegal and an act of aggression violating the UN Charter. US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth warned on X that if Iran fires on US ships again, Iran's oil tankers will be targeted even in the Indo Pacific region.
Khabar Online, citing Reuters, CNN and the IRGC · Sep 6, 2026