Days after allowing India to receive Russian oil cargoes currently stranded at sea to be sold despite sanctions, the White House said the decision is a short-term step meant to keep global oil supplies stable and would not provide any meaningful financial support to Moscow.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the waiver was approved after discussions with President Donald Trump, the Treasury Department and national security officials. She said India had previously acted in line with sanctions, and it was taken mainly to manage a temporary disruption in global oil markets triggered by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
“I have spoken to the President about it and the Secretary of Treasury and the whole National Security team came to this decision because our allies like India have been good actors and previously stopped buying sanctioned Russian oil,” Karoline Leavitt said during a press briefing.
“So as we work to appease this temporary gap of oil supply around the world, because of the Iranians, we have temporarily permitted them to accept Russian oil,” she added.
WHITE HOUSE SAYS SHIPMENTS WERE ALREADY IN TRANSIT
According to the White House, the cargoes allowed under the waiver were already travelling through international waters when the decision was made. “This Russian oil was already at sea, it was already out in the waters,” Karoline Leavitt said.
“This short-term measure, we don’t believe it will provide significant financial benefit to the Russian government at this time,” she said.
Trump’s Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, had also clarified that the US granted temporary flexibility because of the evolving crisis in the region.
“The Indians have been very good actors. We had asked them to stop buying sanctioned Russian oil this fall. They did. They were going to substitute it with US oil. But to ease the temporary gap of oil around the world, we have given them permission to accept Russian oil,” he said during an interview with Fox Business earlier this week.
ENERGY MARKETS UNDER PRESSURE
The US has issued a temporary 30-day waiver as global energy markets are facing uncertainty due to escalating tensions in the Gulf region. The conflict intensified after joint US and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, which killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several senior leaders of the Islamic Republic.
Iran responded with missile and drone attacks targeting US and Israeli assets across several Gulf countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan.
The conflict has raised fears about disruptions to energy supplies, particularly around the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important oil shipping routes. Nearly one-fifth of global oil shipments pass through the narrow waterway, making it a critical chokepoint for international energy trade.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly warned Iran against attempting to interfere with shipping through the strait, saying Washington would respond strongly to any attempt to disrupt global energy supplies.
Iran threatened to stop even “one litre of oil” from being shipped out of the Middle East if the attacks continued, hours after US President Donald Trump threatened to take over the Strait of Hormuz.
India is one of the world’s largest importers of crude oil and has played a significant role in global energy markets since Western sanctions were imposed on Russia after its invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Indian refiners had increased purchases of discounted Russian crude following those sanctions. However, New Delhi recently reduced imports amid pressure from Western governments seeking to limit Russia’s oil revenue.
With inputs from agencies
