The United States has issued a 30-day waiver for countries to buy sanctioned Russian ‌oil and petroleum products currently stranded at sea. US treasury secretary Scott Bessent said the move, announced on Thursday, was a step to stabilise global energy markets roiled by the Iran war. The US is “effectively acknowledging the obvious: without Russian oil, the global energy market cannot remain stable”, Russia’s economic envoy Kirill Dmitriev wrote on Telegram. Oil prices eased on Friday morning in Asia after the US waiver announcement. The US Treasury previously issued a 30-day waiver on March 5th specifically for India, allowing New Delhi to buy ‌Russian oil stuck at sea.

Source: The Irish Times March 13, 2026 15:38 UTC