The United States has formally backed India’s continued purchase of Russian oil, with US Ambassador to India Sergio Gore publicly stating that Washington not only recognizes but supports India’s role in keeping global energy prices stable, a major diplomatic signal amid the escalating Iran-US conflict that has roiled international oil markets.
In a post on social media, Sergio Gor wrote: “India has been a great partner in keeping oil prices stable around the world. The United States recognizes that continued purchases of Russian oil are part of that effort. India is one of the largest consumers and refiners of oil and it is imperative that the United States and India work hand in hand to stabilize the market for Americans and Indians.”
Context of the Iran War
The statement comes directly on the heels of the Trump administration’s decision to grant India a 30-day waiver that allows it to buy Russian oil already at sea without facing US sanctions, a policy change prompted by a spike in fuel prices triggered by the disruption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
With Iraq curtailing production, Kuwait declaring force majeure, and Iranian mine laying threatening the world’s most critical oil site, Washington DC appears to be rapidly recalibrating its energy priorities, and India is at the center of that recalculation.
White House calls India a ‘good actor’
The ambassador’s statement was preceded by an equally pointed statement from the White House.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed at a press conference that the United States had “allowed” India to temporarily buy Russian oil due to disruptions in global energy supplies caused by the conflict in West Asia.
Asked if she had discussed the matter with the president, Leavitt was unequivocal: “I’ve talked to the president about it and the Treasury secretary and the entire national security team came to this decision because our allies like India have been good actors and stopped buying sanctioned Russian oil before. So as we work to calm this temporary oil supply gap around the world, we’ve allowed them to temporarily receive oil from Iran.”
Leavitt added that the measure was short-term and would not bring significant financial benefits to Russia.
The 30-day exemption for buying Russian oil and what it means
Diplomatic confirmations follow concrete political decisions: US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced a 30-day waiver that allows India to buy Russian oil already at sea without facing US sanctions.
The move marks a significant reversal of Washington’s long-standing position. Russian oil sanctions were originally designed to maintain economic pressure on Moscow over the war in Ukraine — a goal that now appears subordinate to the more immediate priority of stabilizing global energy markets amid the Iran crisis.
The waiver effectively provides diplomatic cover for India and positions its purchases of Russian oil not as a solution to sanctions but as a contribution to global market stability.
Trump’s warning to Iran about Hormuz mines
The exemptions and confirmations come against the backdrop of a rapidly deteriorating security situation in the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump issued a blunt warning to Tehran, saying: “If Iran has placed any mines in the Strait of Hormuz, and we have no reports of them doing so, we want them removed immediately! If for any reason the mines were placed and they are not removed immediately, the military consequences for Iran will be on a level we have never seen before. On the other hand, if they were deployed in the right direction, they will be removed in the right direction, they will be removed by what we may have been. the same technologies and missile capabilities deployed against drug traffickers to permanently eliminate any ship or vessel attempting to mine the Strait of Hormuz.
The US military subsequently destroyed 16 Iranian minelaying vessels near the strait in a pre-emptive strike.
