Who was Lindsey Graham? The US senator who wanted 500% tariffs on India over Russian oil 

· OpIndia

United States Senator and one of US President Donald Trump’s closest allies in Washington, Lindsey Graham, passed away on Saturday, 11th July, following a sudden illness. He was 71. The senior Republican lawmaker from South Carolina suffered chest pain and went into cardiac arrest shortly after returning from Kyiv, where he had concluded his tenth visit to Ukraine during the ongoing conflict. Emergency services responded to the home, and his office later confirmed the passing.⁠

A brief statement said, “On the evening of Saturday, July 11, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham passed away from a brief and sudden illness. Senator Graham’s family appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period.”

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Unlike Trump, who often described Russian President Vladimir Putin as a “dear friend” and advocated negotiations, Graham cultivated an image as one of Washington’s strongest Russia hawks. He consistently backed military and financial support for Ukraine and repeatedly pressed successive US administrations to impose tougher sanctions on Moscow and on countries continuing to trade with Russia.

The news of Graham’s death came only days after Iranian hardliners publicly threatened him with death. During a funeral ceremony in Tehran attended by supporters of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, posters displayed images of Graham alongside Donald Trump and other American leaders, with red targets placed over their faces. The message accompanying the posters read, “Sooner or later, your heads will roll.”

Graham had responded to the threat on social media on 6th July with characteristic defiance, posting an image of the placard and writing: “At least they used a good photo of me. Judge me by my enemies.”

Just days before his death, Graham travelled to Kyiv to reaffirm his support for Ukraine. He was among a bipartisan group of senators that reached an agreement with the Trump administration to move forward with legislation aimed at imposing tougher economic penalties on Russia and countries helping sustain Moscow’s war economy.

Speaking in Kyiv after his tenth wartime visit to Ukraine, Graham declared: “We’ve reached an agreement with the White House on a version of the Russian sanctions bill that they will support. It means it’s going to become law.”

The legislation, known as the Sanctioning Russia Act, was intended to allow the United States to target countries helping Russia bypass Western sanctions and strengthen Washington’s negotiating leverage against Moscow. 

Who was Lindsey Graham?

Born on 9th July, 1955, in Central, South Carolina, Lindsey Olin Graham built a political career shaped by law, military service and foreign policy activism.

After studying law, Graham joined the United States Air Force in 1982 as part of the Judge Advocate General’s Corps. Between 1982 and 1988, he served as both a defence attorney and chief prosecutor while stationed in Europe. Even after entering politics, he continued serving in the Air Force Reserve and eventually rose to the rank of colonel.

In 2014, Graham received the Bronze Star Medal for meritorious service. Although he never saw direct combat, his military background helped establish his image as a strong advocate for defence spending and an interventionist American foreign policy.

His political journey began in South Carolina’s state legislature, where he served in the House of Representatives from 1993 to 1995. He later represented South Carolina’s 3rd congressional district in the US House of Representatives from 1995 until 2003.

In 2002, Graham successfully contested for the United States Senate and quickly emerged as one of the Republican Party’s most prominent voices on national security issues. He was re-elected in 2008, 2014 and 2020, becoming one of the South’s longest-serving and most recognisable Republican senators.

Listed as ‘Terrorist and Extremist’ by Russia in 2024

Graham’s aggressive rhetoric against Russia and his unwavering support for Ukraine led to an extraordinary development in 2024 when Russian authorities added him to the country’s official list of “terrorists and extremists.” The designation was issued by Russia’s state financial monitoring agency, Rosfinmonitoring, whose blacklist allows authorities to freeze financial assets and bank accounts linked to individuals or organisations considered extremist threats.

The move was largely symbolic in Graham’s case, but it highlighted the extent of tensions between the senator and the Kremlin. Responding to the decision, Graham mocked the announcement on social media, writing sarcastically: “There goes all my rubles!”

The senator had earlier been the subject of a Russian arrest warrant after making strongly worded remarks against Moscow during a visit to Kyiv. Russian officials accused him of spreading “Russophobic statements” and escalating anti-Russian sentiment. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov had remarked at the time: “It’s difficult to imagine a greater shame for a country than having such senators.”

Graham dismissed the criticism and told Reuters that he would “wear the arrest warrant issued by Putin’s corrupt and immoral government as a badge of honour.” He repeatedly called for Russia to be designated a state sponsor of terrorism and argued that 2024 would be “a bad year for Putin’s Russia” because of increased Western military assistance to Ukraine.

Known for his Anti-India remarks

Senator Graham frequently targeted New Delhi for its independent foreign policy, highlighting his anti-India stance through severe economic threats. He was known for the criticism of New Delhi’s energy relationship with Russia.

Over the past several years, Graham has emerged as one of the strongest advocates of imposing economic penalties on countries purchasing Russian crude oil. India, alongside China and Brazil, frequently featured in his public criticism.

During an interview with Fox News in July, 2025, Graham warned that the Trump administration could impose severe economic penalties on countries continuing to purchase Russian energy. “Trump is going to impose tariffs on people that buy Russian oil, China, India and Brazil,” Graham said.

He added: “If you keep buying cheap Russian oil to allow this war to continue, we’re going to tear up the hell out of you, and we’re going to crush your economy.” Graham argued that India, China and Brazil collectively accounted for nearly 80% of Russia’s oil exports and accused them of indirectly financing the war in Ukraine.

“What you are doing is blood money,” he said, adding that Putin “is not going to stop until somebody makes him stop.”

Graham had earlier proposed a highly punitive bill calling for 500% tariffs on goods from countries continuing to trade with Russia, including India and China. During an interview with Fox News, Graham issued a harsh ultimatum, stating, “Trump is going to impose tariffs on people that buy Russian oil – China, India, and Brazil… Here’s what I would tell China, India and Brazil: If you keep buying cheap Russian oil to allow this war to continue, we’re going to tear up the hell out of you, and we’re going to crush your economy.” He claimed that these three nations account for roughly 80% of Russia’s crude exports, which actively keep “Putin’s war machine going.” 

In another statement that sparked criticism in India, Graham reacted to reports of a deadly Russian strike on Kyiv by directly linking the attack to countries purchasing Russian crude.

Writing on social media, he stated: “India, China, Brazil and others who prop up Putin’s war machine by buying cheap Russian oil: How do you feel right now that your purchases have resulted in innocent civilians, including children, being killed?”

He had further added, “India is experiencing the cost of supporting Putin. To the rest, you will soon too.”

On another occasion, Graham openly declared that the objective of sanctions should be to target Russia‘s customers rather than Russia alone. “Without oil and gas revenue, Russia collapses,” he said during an interview with NBC. “The whole goal is to crush its customers, India, China and Brazil.”

The remarks generated criticism in India, where policymakers have repeatedly argued that energy security and national interests guide New Delhi’s purchasing decisions.

Beyond India: A Senator frequently surrounded by controversy

Apart from giving highly aggressive anti-India remarks, there were several other major controversies surrounding Lindsey Graham throughout his career. As a close ally of Donald Trump, the South Carolina senator frequently made headlines for his provocative statements on a range of global issues. 

In February, he claimed that India had reduced its purchases of Russian oil “dramatically” and argued that the tariffs imposed by Trump on New Delhi served as a “good example” of how aggressive policy measures could successfully influence a country’s actions. 

Earlier in January, Graham revealed that Trump had “greenlit” a piece of legislation the senator had personally worked on for months, known as the Graham-Blumenthal sanctions bill. This legislation sought to allow the U.S. President to impose astronomical tariffs of up to 500% on countries, including India, that continued to buy Russian oil. 

“The bill will allow President Trump to punish countries who buy cheap Russian oil fueling Putin’s war machine,” Graham said while defending the proposal.

His comments regarding Iran attracted even greater attention.

Graham’s rhetoric was equally incendiary regarding West Asia. In an interview on Fox News’ ‘Sunday Morning Futures’, Graham praised Trump for standing with “the people over the ayatollah” and went on to describe the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as “the modern-day Hitler,” a “religious Nazi,” and a “horrible person.” During the broadcast, he openly advocated for targeted assassinations, stating, “It’s time for him to go. The people want him to go. If I were you, Mr President, I would kill the leadership that is killing the people. You’ve got to end this.” 

The remarks triggered widespread debate over whether a sitting US senator should openly advocate the assassination of a foreign leader.

Another controversy erupted when Graham dismissed concerns raised by European leaders over Donald Trump’s comments regarding Greenland. Speaking during the Munich Security Conference, he remarked: “Who gives a s*** who owns Greenland? I don’t.”

When asked about concerns among America’s European allies, Graham responded: “If you’re nervous, have a beer, go see a doctor.”

In another diplomatic controversy, Graham criticised Pakistan’s attempts to present itself as a mediator in tensions involving Iran and the United States. “It has been apparent to me for quite a while that Pakistan as a mediator is more than problematic,” he wrote on social media.

He further argued that Pakistan’s historical position on Israel and allegations regarding Iranian military aircraft made Islamabad an unsuitable intermediary, comments that generated significant debate in diplomatic circles.

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