US President Donald Trump [AP]
US President Donald Trump [AP]

President Donald Trump said Sunday that Republicans should add Iran to a bill imposing sanctions on Russia.

Trump made the remarks on his Truth Social account Sunday, invoking the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, a close ally who died suddenly on July 11. "That's what Lindsey wanted, and that's what it was going to be," Trump said.

The bill appears to refer to a revised Russia sanctions package recently unveiled by the US Senate.

It was a measure Graham had championed until the end of his life. The bill would authorize the president to impose tariffs of up to 100 percent on the five countries that import the most oil and natural gas from Russia.

Under the bill, the US Trade Representative would have authority to set the final tariff rate, and the president would have discretion to waive the sanctions if deemed in the national interest.

The White House had long opposed Russia sanctions legislation, arguing it could obstruct efforts to end the war between Russia and Ukraine.


mss@heraldcorp.com