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✍️ Written by Saket Suman Within a span of just over two weeks, the United States has issued three separate sanctions waivers, first for Indian-bound Russian crude, then for Russian oil globally, and now for Iranian crude itself. This has revealed a pattern that suggests Washington’s sanctions regime is no longer a static enforcement mechanism but a dynamic tool being repositioned in real time to balance war objectives with global energy stability. Representational Image Via:  U.S. Central Command As IndianRepublic.in had earlier reported on March 6 , the U.S. Treasury issued General License 133 permitting Indian refiners to receive Russian crude already at sea, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stating the aim was to “ensure oil continues flowing into global markets,” even while maintaining pressure on Russia. That India-specific measure was expanded on March 13 through General License 134 , which allowed the delivery of Russian crude glo...

The United States Treasury has authorized a limited, time-bound waiver allowing the delivery and sale of Iranian-origin crude oil already loaded on vessels before March 20, 2026, granting a one-month window until April 19, even as broader sanctions on Iran remain firmly in place. File Photo of Kharg Island; Via: Adam Cochran In an official General License  U  issued by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) , the U.S. said that “all transactions… ordinarily incident and necessary to the sale, delivery, or offloading of crude oil or petroleum products of Iranian origin loaded on any vessel… on or before 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time, March 20, 2026 are authorized through 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time, April 19, 2026,” effectively creating a narrowly defined compliance window for cargoes already in transit. The license explicitly covers operational and logistical activities required to complete such deliveries, stating that permitted transactions include those nece...

U.S. President Donald Trump has said Washington is “very close” to achieving its military objectives in the ongoing conflict with Iran and is now considering winding down operations, outlining a five-point framework that includes dismantling Iran’s missile capabilities, destroying its defence industrial base, and preventing it from acquiring nuclear weapons. File Photo of President Donald Trump Via: AF Post on X In a public statement , Trump said the United States aimed at “completely degrading Iranian missile capability, launchers, and everything else pertaining to them,” while also targeting “Iran’s defence industrial base” and “eliminating their Navy and Air Force, including anti-aircraft weaponry.” He added that a core objective remained “ never allowing Iran to get even close to nuclear capability ,” while ensuring the U.S. retains the ability to “quickly and powerfully react” if required. Trump also framed the campaign in terms of regional security, saying the U.S. was acti...

Iran has sharply escalated its rhetoric against the United Kingdom after London approved U.S. use of British bases for operations targeting Iranian missile capabilities , with Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi warning that the move amounts to dangerous escalation and could trigger retaliation under Iran’s right to self-defence. File Photo of Seyed Abbas Araghchi Via On u ka on X In a public statement , Araghchi said a “vast majority of the British people do not want any part” in what he described as a U.S.–Israel war on Iran, and accused Prime Minister Keir Starmer of “ignoring his own people” while “putting British lives in danger by allowing UK bases to be used for aggression against Iran.” He added that “Iran will exercise its right to self-defense,” signalling that Tehran views the decision as a direct security threat. The warning comes hours after Downing Street confirmed that U.S. forces would be allowed to use British bases for “defensive operations” to degrade missile site...

The United Kingdom has formally agreed to allow the United States to use British military bases for operations targeting Iranian missile capabilities threatening commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz , while maintaining that it will not directly join the strikes, according to a statement issued by 10 Downing Street after a ministerial meeting on Friday. Representational Image Via U.S. Central Command In a detailed readout, the Prime Minister’s Office said ministers “confirmed that the agreement for the U.S. to use U.K. bases in the collective self-defence of the region includes U.S. defensive operations to degrade the missile sites and capabilities being used to attack ships in the Strait of Hormuz ,” explicitly linking the expanded scope of cooperation to Iran’s recent targeting of maritime traffic and energy infrastructure. The decision marks a significant escalation in London’s operational posture, allowing U.S. forces to launch strikes on Iranian missile systems and related...

Indian officials on Friday stated that nearly 300,000 passengers have returned from West Asia since February 28, 913 Indian nationals have crossed from Iran into Armenia and Azerbaijan with embassy assistance, and 22 Indian-flagged vessels carrying 611 Indian seafarers remain safe in the Persian Gulf. These developments have emerged as New Delhi responded to a fresh Indian death in Riyadh, tightened aviation risk advisories, and expanded its multi-ministerial effort to manage the widening fallout of the Iran war across energy, shipping and civilian movement. Petroleum Secretary Sujata Sharma; Screengrab Via: TBS World Now on X At an inter-ministerial briefing in New Delhi , senior officials from the Ministries of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Ports, Shipping and Waterways, and External Affairs laid out India’s latest assessment of the crisis, while the Directorate General of Civil Aviation issued a clarification saying it had now circulated six safety advisories to Indian operators o...

✍️ Written by Saket Suman India’s LNG import architecture has been hit by a major disruption that could last three to five years as 47% of its LNG imports sourced from Qatar are now exposed to prolonged supply shocks after missile strikes have cut Qatar’s export capacity by 17% , caused an estimated $20 billion in annual losses , and forced the declaration of force majeure on long-term contracts . File Photo of the Russian LNG tanker Arctic Metagaz, which suffered a massive explosion in the Mediterranean earlier this month; Via: OpenSourceIntel An IndianRepublic.in analysis of official disclosures issued within hours by New Delhi and Doha on Thursday points to a widening policy gap, with the Government of India yet to articulate a detailed procurement roadmap, volume replacement strategy or cost framework , stating only that it will pursue diversification without specifying how much supply will be sourced, from where, and at what e...

Missile attacks on Qatar’s Ras Laffan Industrial City on March 18 and early March 19 have cut LNG export capacity by 17%, caused an estimated $20 billion in annual revenue losses, and will force long-term force majeure of up to five years, QatarEnergy said , as Doha and a bloc of Arab and Islamic nations condemned Iran’s attacks and warned of escalating threats to global energy security and maritime navigation. File Photo: The War Journal on X QatarEnergy CEO and Energy Minister Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi said the strikes caused “ extensive damage ” that will take “between three to five years to repair,” affecting supplies to China, South Korea, Italy and Belgium , and forcing the company to suspend parts of its long-term LNG commitments. He said the attacks damaged LNG Trains 4 and 6 (12.8 MTPA) —about 17% of exports —while a separate strike hit the Pearl GTL facility operated by Shell , leaving one production train offline for at least one year . Detailing the wider losses, QatarEnerg...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected speculations and claims that Israel had pushed the United States into war with Iran, saying “does anyone really think that someone can tell President Trump what to do?”, while portraying the U.S.-Israeli campaign as a tightly coordinated effort to dismantle Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities, weaken its military-industrial base and create conditions for internal political change in Tehran. Image of Israeli PM Netanyahu; Via: SilencedSirs on X Speaking to the foreign press from a protected underground venue as air raid precautions remained in force, Netanyahu said Israel’s Operation was being carried out “under President Trump’s visionary leadership” and that “America and Israel are acting together in Iran with great determination and unprecedented strength.” He said the operation was designed to remove “ the existential threats posed by the Ayatollah regime ,” which he accused of waging war for 47 years against “Am...