Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Saturday accused President Donald Trump of cooperating with Russia at the same moment Moscow is alleged to be helping Iran in a war that has killed American troops. His remarks, posted on X, came a day after Trump suspended a sweeping sanctions package against Russia that he had signed into law only last month.
What Buttigieg Said
The post, published at 1:04 p.m. on Oct. 17, 2026, read in full:
“Russia is cooperating with Iran. So why is Trump cooperating with Russia?
Like the diesel deal, this decision is a gift to the very forces attacking our service members.”
Buttigieg attached an Associated Press report on the sanctions suspension. The AP reported that Trump on Friday signed an executive order putting the new package on hold and told Congress the pause was in the national interest. The order came two days before a deadline set in the law itself for its implementation.
The Executive Order
The order, titled “Implementing the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026,” is dated Oct. 16. It states that Trump signed the Graham Act into law on Sept. 18. It then invokes Section 115 of the act, which lets the president waive sanctions, restrictions and duties if he sends Congress a written certification that doing so is in the national interest, along with a report explaining the basis.
On paper, the order raises the duty rate on goods from the Russian Federation by 500 percent. It also sets 100 percent increases on goods from the five largest importers of Russian crude oil and natural gas that make new purchases on or after Oct. 18, and on the top five facilitators of Russian oil sanctions evasion. Section 4 then waives the duties in sections 112 and 113 of the act and a long list of sanctions provisions, including sections 102(a), 102(d), 102(e) and 103 through 111. The waivers remain in effect until the president or the Secretary of State determines that further action is appropriate. The order says it does not affect sanctions already in place under earlier executive orders addressing Russia.
The legislation, named for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, had been meant to cut off the financial resources fueling Russia’s war on Ukraine. The AP reported that it targeted Russian officials, banks and a shadow fleet of tankers that keeps Russian energy moving. Graham died unexpectedly in July after returning from Ukraine, and his colleagues responded with bipartisan support for the bill.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., who co-drafted the bill, said in a statement that Trump was turning his back on “the majority of Americans, their representatives in both houses of Congress, and our European allies.” He added: “These waivers have nothing to do with our national security, and everything to do with sucking up to Vladimir Putin.” Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., said he and others had “warned” Trump might make such a move. The White House did not immediately explain how the pause served the national interest.
The Diesel Deal
Buttigieg’s reference to “the diesel deal” points to an announcement Trump made on Oct. 9, saying he had reached an agreement with Putin in a phone call. Under it, Trump said, Russia would immediately supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel, followed by 500,000 tons in November and 1 million tons “immediately thereafter.” Russia would then deliver another 3 million tons “within a short period of time,” Trump said. The announcement reversed years of U.S. pressure on Moscow over the war in Ukraine.
The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, in a document dated Oct. 9 and signed by Director Bradley T. Smith, issued General License No. 135. It authorizes transactions otherwise prohibited under the Russian Harmful Foreign Activities Sanctions Regulations and the Ukraine-/Russia-Related Sanctions Regulations. The license covers the sale, delivery, offloading and importation of Russian-origin diesel, including into the United States, through April 7, 2027. It does not authorize debits to accounts of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, the National Wealth Fund or the Ministry of Finance.
The deal drew criticism from both parties. Former Vice President Mike Pence called it a “betrayal” of Graham and said, “America should not be throwing a lifeline to Putin’s war machine.” The AP reported that critics in both parties argue the arrangement will help Russia wage its war without lowering global fuel prices, which are elevated mostly because of the Iran war. Trump has also lashed out at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, blaming him for failing to reach a deal with Putin.
Russia and the Iran War
The claim at the center of Buttigieg’s post traces back to the opening days of the war. Trump announced “major combat operations” against Iran in late February, and Iran answered with missile and drone attacks on Israel, regional U.S. bases and Gulf nations. By early March, U.S. officials were saying Russia was feeding Tehran information about American forces.
On March 7, people familiar with the intelligence said the U.S. believed Russia had been giving Iran the locations of American troops in the region, including aircraft and ships. An intelligence official confirmed that belief but did not say what type of information was being shared. Russia did not address the allegations, though Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov had said previously that Iran had not asked for help.
Six U.S. service members were killed in an Iranian drone attack on a base in Kuwait on March 1. Analysts said the reported intelligence-sharing would fit the pattern of Iran’s strikes on command-and-control infrastructure, radars and temporary structures like the one hit in Kuwait. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt did not deny the reports. She told reporters that “it clearly is not making a difference with respect to the military operations in Iran because we are completely decimating them.” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the U.S. was “not concerned.”
Reuters reported in March that U.S. intelligence was also examining whether Russia had a role in Iranian drone attacks on CIA facilities in the Persian Gulf region. Two Western officials said Iran may have used Shahed drones upgraded with Russian assistance. The agencies had reached no final conclusions.
The Political Stakes
Buttigieg, a former South Bend mayor and 2020 presidential candidate, has criticized Trump’s dealings with Putin before. After the 2018 Helsinki summit, he called Trump’s decision not to back the findings of U.S. intelligence “disturbing.” He has also acknowledged he is weighing a 2028 presidential run.
The suspension lands in a difficult political environment for the White House. An AP-NORC poll published Oct. 1 found that Americans disapprove of Trump’s handling of the Iran war and blame him for higher prices. Republicans are trying to keep control of both chambers of Congress in the Nov. 3 midterms. The sanctions had also become a campaign centerpiece for Sen. Darline Graham, the late senator’s sister, who holds his seat by appointment and is running for a full term with Trump’s endorsement. She said in a debate that the law “gives the president tools that he can use if he so chooses, to end the war through economic sanctions.”