President Donald Trump signaled Tuesday that Washington’s Russia sanctions push may be about to get a lot more crowded, telling reporters in the Oval Office that he expects Iran and Hezbollah to be folded into a sanctions bill now working its way through Congress.
Trump said he thought lawmakers would tack Iran and Hezbollah onto the Russia-focused measure, while adding that potential secondary penalties on China and India "had not been discussed." He made the comments as he hosted Iraq’s prime minister, Ali al‑Zaidi, in the Oval Office, according to Reuters.
Behind the scenes, a bipartisan group of senators has been reworking the bill into a broader effort that targets buyers of Russian oil. Lawmakers say they have been coordinating with the White House to nail down language the administration can live with, after several previous attempts sputtered out, E&E News reported. Supporters are pitching this version as the one built to finally survive procedural landmines in both chambers.
What Adding Iran And Hezbollah Would Mean
Expanding the bill to explicitly name Iran and Hezbollah would turn it from a Russia-first pressure campaign into something closer to a regional sanctions package. Analysts and some lawmakers warn that could create fresh diplomatic headaches for governments whose companies do business with both Moscow and Tehran, according to The Washington Post.
Trump, speaking in the Oval Office, also reiterated that the notion of layering on secondary penalties aimed at China and India "had not been discussed," an important signal to two major energy buyers, as noted in coverage by The Times of Israel.
Where It Goes From Here
Senators driving the effort, including Jeanne Shaheen, Richard Blumenthal and Roger Wicker, say they have struck a deal with the administration on a version of the bill they believe can move, and they are preparing to push it in the coming days, E&E News reported. Even if lawmakers succeed in inserting new language on Iran or Hezbollah, the package still faces the usual gantlet: committee work, floor votes in both the House and Senate and a presidential sign‑off.
Legal And Diplomatic Hurdles
Adding Iran and Hezbollah into the mix would trigger difficult legal questions about how far U.S. secondary sanctions can reach. Past sanctions rounds suggest key trading partners would quickly show up in Washington asking for exemptions or waivers, according to reporting by The Washington Post. Balancing the desire to punish what officials call malign actors with the need to avoid inflicting broad economic damage on allies is set to be one of the trickiest drafting problems for Congress.
The administration’s Iran strategy has already zigzagged in recent months, with earlier coverage tracking White House overtures and June ceasefire talk in a report on how Trump slams brakes on Iran strikes. As the revamped sanctions bill grinds through committee and onto the floor, lawmakers will be watching closely to see whether Iran and Hezbollah ultimately make the final cut.
