Trump stated that Iran and Hezbollah will be included in the updated sanctions bill against Russia

US President Donald Trump stated that Iran and the Lebanese Hezbollah are likely to be added to the updated sanctions bill against Russia, which is currently being considered by the US Congress.

This was reported by Reuters on July 14, 2026, citing Trump’s words to journalists in Washington. The American president did not specify what specific restrictions are proposed to be extended to Iran and Hezbollah and whether they will be directly related to Tehran and the Lebanese group’s cooperation with Moscow.

This brief statement may indicate a significant change in the concept of the document. Initially, the bill was created as a tool to pressure the Russian economy and states that continue to buy Russian oil, gas, and uranium. Now it potentially could turn into a broader sanctions package, combining Russia’s war against Ukraine with the US and Israel’s confrontation with Iran and its regional network.

What exactly did Trump say

According to Reuters, Trump stated that, in his opinion, Iran and Hezbollah will be added to the sanctions bill against Russia, which is under consideration by Congress.

At the same time, the US president reported that the possibility of introducing additional secondary sanctions against China and India was not discussed. Trump did not provide other details.

Therefore, it is not yet about an adopted amendment or a published legal text, but about a political statement by the head of the White House.

It is more accurate to say that Trump expects the inclusion of Iran and Hezbollah in the updated version of the law. It is premature to assert that Congress has already agreed on specific sanctions against them.

Which bill is Congress considering

The bill in question is S.1241 — Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025, introduced in the Senate on April 1, 2025. One of its main authors was Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who worked on the document with Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal and a large bipartisan group of lawmakers.

The project was referred to the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. Its officially stated goal is to impose sanctions against the Russian Federation in case Moscow refuses to engage in good-faith peace negotiations with Ukraine, violates a possible agreement, or engages in new military aggression.

The initial version provided for a wide range of restrictions:

• blocking the property of Russian officials and Kremlin-linked structures;
• sanctions against the Central Bank of Russia, Sberbank, VTB, Gazprombank, and financial institutions interacting with them;
• restrictions on money transfers to and from Russia;
• a ban on American investments in the Russian energy sector;
• sanctions against foreign suppliers of equipment, technologies, and services for the Russian army;
• restrictions against individuals and companies helping to circumvent American sanctions;
• a ban or restriction on operations with Russian uranium;
• increased tariffs on Russian goods and services.

The toughest provision of the initial draft provided for a duty of at least 500% on goods and services from countries knowingly buying, selling, or transferring Russian oil, natural gas, uranium, petroleum products, and petrochemical products.

On July 10, 2026, Senators Jeanne Shaheen, Richard Blumenthal, Lindsey Graham, and Roger Wicker announced an agreement with the Trump administration on the updated version of the sanctions legislation. They stated that the document should create tools to punish buyers of Russian oil and gas financing Russia’s war against Ukraine. At the same time, the senators reported that the final text would be presented later.

NAnews — Israel News notes: it was between the announcement of the agreement with the White House on July 10 and Trump’s statement on July 14 that a new Middle Eastern element emerged — Iran and Hezbollah.

Why adding Iran seems logical

Iran is a state, so it is relatively easy to include it in a sanctions mechanism designed for countries, banks, energy companies, shipping structures, and buyers of Russian resources.

Tehran may fall under the updated law as a state supporting economic, financial, energy, or military relations with Russia. Moreover, the initial version already provides for sanctions against foreign individuals supplying the Russian armed forces with weapons, equipment, technologies, materials, or services or conducting transactions with them.

The possible inclusion of Iran was also discussed by Trump earlier. In November 2025, he said that Republicans were working on a law providing for tough sanctions against countries doing business with Russia and separately allowed for the addition of Iran.

However, until now, Iran has not been explicitly named in the published text of S.1241. The initial version of the bill does not mention either Iran or Hezbollah.

Therefore, it is about the content of a new version or additional amendments that have not yet been publicly presented.

How Hezbollah might be included in the Russian bill

The situation with Hezbollah is more complicated.

Hezbollah is not a state and cannot be subject to a trade duty on all goods of a particular country. Therefore, simply adding its name to the list of buyers of Russian energy resources will not be enough.

Most likely, if Trump’s proposal is implemented, the bill will include a separate block allowing for restrictions against:

• financial institutions and intermediaries serving Hezbollah;
• companies transporting goods or funds for the group;
• Hezbollah’s overseas commercial networks;
• banks opening accounts for its representatives and related organizations;
• individuals and structures simultaneously working with Iran, Russia, and Hezbollah;
• schemes using gold, cash, shipping, shell companies, and shadow bank accounts.

This is still an assumption based on the existing structure of American sanctions. The official text of a possible amendment has not yet been published.

The US has long imposed sanctions against Hezbollah

Adding Hezbollah to the new bill does not mean that the US is recognizing it as a sanctions target for the first time.

The US State Department listed the organization as a foreign terrorist organization on October 8, 1997, and in 2001 it received the status of a specially designated global terrorist entity.

In 2026, the US Treasury Department continued to actively expand restrictions against Hezbollah’s financial system.

In February, OFAC imposed sanctions against structures that, according to the American agency, were converting the group’s gold reserves into available funds and participating in international procurement and transportation of goods. The Treasury Department directly linked these schemes to coordination between Hezbollah and the Iranian regime.

On June 30, 2026, the US and other participants in the Terrorist Financing Targeting Center announced joint measures against five organizations and 16 individuals linked to Hezbollah’s financial infrastructure. Among them were Al-Qard Al-Hassan and Bayt al-Mal, which the US Treasury Department calls the group’s unofficial treasury.

American authorities claim that some individuals associated with this system managed to conduct over $500 million through Lebanese bank accounts over a decade, despite existing restrictions.

Thus, the possible appearance of Hezbollah in the Russian sanctions bill may not be the start of a new regime but an expansion and legislative consolidation of an already existing financial blockade.

Why this is important for Israel

For Israel, the key question is whether Congress will limit itself to a symbolic mention of Hezbollah or create additional mechanisms to pressure its international financial networks.

If the sanctions are enshrined in federal law, rather than just presidential orders and Treasury Department decisions, it will be more difficult for a future US administration to quickly repeal or significantly weaken them.

The new law could potentially increase pressure not only on Hezbollah’s leadership but also on banks, businessmen, transport companies, insurance structures, and intermediaries in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran, and other states.

For the Israeli audience, another important aspect is that Washington may begin to view Russia’s war against Ukraine and the activities of Iran’s regional network not as two separate crises but as elements of one system.

In such a model, Russia receives money from the export of energy resources, Iran interacts with Moscow in military and economic spheres, and Hezbollah uses the Tehran-supported international financial infrastructure.

NAnews — Israel News emphasizes that this is still political logic, not a confirmed formulation of the bill. Reuters did not report that Hezbollah is being punished specifically for cooperation with Russia.

What this means for Ukraine

For Ukraine, the inclusion of Iran could have direct significance if American lawmakers link sanctions to the transfer of weapons, technologies, components, or financial support to Russia.

The initial bill already allows for restrictions against foreign individuals knowingly supplying goods, services, equipment, and technologies to the Russian armed forces. It also covers structures involved in circumventing sanctions, money laundering, and operations with digital assets.

Therefore, the new version may expand the responsibility of Iranian state structures, banks, defense companies, transport operators, and intermediaries.

The inclusion of Hezbollah has a less direct connection to Ukraine. It rather shows that Congress may use the popular bipartisan law against Russia as a basis for a broader international sanctions package.

What remains unknown

As of July 14, 2026, answers to the main questions have not been published:

• what specific sanctions are proposed against Iran;
• which organizations and individuals associated with Hezbollah will fall under the restrictions;
• whether a proven connection with Russia will be required;
• whether the 500% duty will remain in the updated version;
• whether Trump will have the right to independently decide when and against whom to apply measures;
• whether the sanctions will be mandatory or remain a tool at the president’s discretion;
• when the updated bill will be officially presented and put to a vote.

It is also unclear why Trump specifically emphasized that additional secondary sanctions against China and India were not discussed. His words do not necessarily mean that these countries will be completely exempt from the law. They may still fall under tariff or other measures as major buyers of Russian resources.

A new sanctions alliance against Moscow and Tehran

Trump’s statement may be the first signal of transforming the Sanctioning Russia Act into a significantly broader foreign policy document.

If Iran and Hezbollah indeed appear in the final text, Congress will effectively combine pressure on Russia’s military economy with the fight against Iran’s financial and regional infrastructure.

For Ukraine, this could mean expanding the responsibility of states and companies supporting the Russian army.

For Israel — new tools against the international financing of Hezbollah and structures linking the group with Iran.

But at the moment, only the fact of Trump’s statement is confirmed. Until Congress publishes the updated text, it is unknown whether this will become a strict legal norm or remain a political intention of the White House.