In March 2026, the Trump administration lifted sanctions on Russian oil during an escalating oil crisis caused by Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz in response to the US-Iran war. Democrats called for an investigation into the decision, questioning whether it benefited Russia at a time when Moscow was sharing intelligence with Iran about US troop positions.
The sanctions waiver came as global oil prices surged — with oil soaring 10% in what was described as the 'largest supply disruption' in history. Trump had initially bragged about low gas prices ($2.30/gallon) just a month earlier, but the Iran war triggered a massive oil shock that sent prices skyrocketing.
The decision to benefit Russia — which was actively providing intelligence to Iran about US forces — while American troops were in combat raised serious questions about Trump's priorities and the nature of his relationship with Moscow.
Update (September 19, 2026): the waiver mechanism this entry describes is now written into statute. On September 18, Trump signed H.R. 5334, the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026. The law is framed in mandatory terms, requiring sanctions on named Russian officials and duties of up to 100 percent on goods from countries that keep buying Russian crude or gas. But the president may waive any requirement of it by certifying to Congress that the waiver is in the national interest and submitting a report explaining why.
The bill took more than a year to reach him. CBS News reported that earlier versions “were on the verge of moving forward, only to meet resistance from the White House or to be put on the back burner.” The administration backed the final text, and the Iran provisions in it were added at Trump's urging.
Reps. Gregory Meeks and Don Beyer objected that the result is hollow: the bill “still contain[s] the broadest possible waiver authority for President Trump, who already has the power to impose these sanctions on Russia under U.S. law but has refused to do so,” while granting “sweeping new tariff authorities that the president could weaponize with abandon.”
Signing a sanctions law is not itself misconduct, and this entry does not treat it as such. What it records is that the statute now codifies the same discretion documented above.
Update (October 17, 2026): on October 16 Trump used the Graham Act's waiver authority to suspend nearly all of its Russia sanctions and tariffs before they took effect (see Trump Waives the Russia Sanctions Law He Signed a Month Earlier, Two Days Before It Took Effect).