US wants to become huge source of India’s energy needs: Senior State Department official

Representative image of the flags of India and the United States of America. | Photo credit: GettyImages/iStockphoto

India, with huge energy needs, has long been exploring ways to diversify its energy sources, and the US is trying to meet those demands, a senior State Department official said.

Last week, US President Donald Trump signed the “Lindsey O. Graham Russia and Iran Sanctions Act of 2026” into law, which authorizes him to impose up to 100% tariffs on countries buying Russian oil and gas, including China and India.

The law is named after the late Senator Lindsey Graham, who proposed a sanctions bill imposing 500% tariffs on countries buying Russian oil.

In response to a question about the law and India’s response about the “potential consequences” for bilateral relations, the official said the US Congress has taken a rather tough approach, especially publicly.

“India has long sought to diversify its energy sources. It is a country that has huge energy needs,” the official said.

“You’ve had members of Congress calling out India in particular, so of course India has to respond. We understand that. They have domestic constituencies, as do we. As with any activity like this, there are no hard feelings.”

Responding to PTI’s question about the bill and India’s concerns over it, the official said the US Congress had passed the bill, which gave President Trump a new tool in his toolbox.

“That doesn’t necessarily mean he’s going to deploy it tomorrow, but he has an opportunity to do that. He’s focused on ending this war. It’s been something he’s campaigned on and has been committed to from the beginning,” he said.

“We’re looking to our friends, especially like India, to help support this effort. But I think you’ll have to stay tuned to how the law is implemented. But there is a broad exemption for national security, so you can imagine there is a scenario and the president is using it,” he added.

He noted that “unfortunately” for a long time Venezuelan and Iranian sources were cut off, “the options were very limited,” he said.

“Now, with President Trump’s incredibly successful operation in Venezuela, we are moving into a better position that countries like India will be able to access that market,” he added.

Noting that “the Indians are very interested,” the official said the country previously had refineries in Venezuela, but it is very complicated to restart them, given the damage caused to the industry by the Nicolás Maduro regime.

“We also want to become a huge source of India’s energy needs. We are increasing our exports of hydrocarbons,” the official said, adding that the US is now the largest exporter of LPG and the second largest exporter of LNG.

“The demands are big and the need for oil is there. We are looking at alternatives,” the official said, adding that these are talks that happen frequently, including those between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Minister Marco Rubio, and will continue.

“But I would say that even before the war, India has been trying to diversify in terms of energy for a long time. It’s not a new concept. We just need to accelerate it,” said a senior foreign ministry official.

Published – 26 Sep 2026 11:06 IST