Trump pushes GOP to add Iran to Russia sanctions bill: 'That's what Lindsey wanted'

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump urged congressional Republicans to add Iran to a bipartisan Russia sanctions bill, saying the move would honor late Sen Lindsey Graham's wishes as US military operations against Tehran continued.

His push came after Iranian attacks in Jordan killed two US service members. The renewed call also places Trump more directly at the center of the expanding US-Iran conflict as Congress weighs Graham's sanctions bill.

Trump ties Iran push to Lindsey Graham's legacy

Trump made the appeal in a Truth Social post on Sunday, July 19, writing, "Republicans should add Iran to the Russian Sanctions Bill."

He followed that with, "That's what Lindsey wanted to do, and it was going to happen. IMPORTANT!!!"

The legislation, first introduced in April 2025, had stalled in Congress while Trump pursued negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine.

Before his death, Graham announced that the White House had reached an agreement to move forward with the long-delayed Russia sanctions package.

President Donald Trump speaks alongside FIFA President Gianni Infantino at a FIFA Reception at Trump Tower on July 17, 2026 in New York City (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Sen Jeanne Shaheen, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, have both described the Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025 as a fitting tribute to Graham's legacy.

Shaheen and Graham had also previously announced White House support for advancing the bill.

US military expands strikes on Iran

Trump's call came as the administration continued military action against Iran following Iranian attacks in Jordan that killed two US service members.

CENTCOM said it completed an eighth straight night of strikes late Saturday, targeting coastal surveillance systems, air defenses, maritime assets, missile storage sites and drone facilities.

It said the operation was ordered by the commander in chief to further weaken Iran's military capabilities after two American service members were killed in Jordan.

US forces also struck Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps units that CENTCOM said launched the missile and drone attacks against US troops.

According to CENTCOM, more than 50,000 American troops remain deployed across the Middle East and are on high alert.

The search also continued Sunday for a US service member reported missing after the Iranian missile attack in Jordan, according to Fox News.

Iran issues warning as conflict widens

Iran responded with fresh warnings as the fighting intensified.

Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei warned Saturday that the US would face "unforgettable lessons" if attacks on Iran continued.

Iran's joint military command also declared that US "covetousness, bullying, totalitarianism or brutality" would meet with a "devastating response."

An Iranian negotiator said Tehran was suspending its commitments under the interim agreement reached about a month earlier to end the fighting.

Iranian authorities said at least 50 people were killed and 517 were wounded in the latest US strikes, while CENTCOM said its operations remained focused on degrading Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. 

Democrats, meanwhile, have continued raising concerns about provisions in the sanctions bill that would grant the president broad tariff authority while also making existing sanctions significantly harder for a future administration to remove, according to the Hill.