Scott Bessent, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, stated on his social media account on platform X that Donald Trump "is taking decisive action to ensure stability in international energy markets and maintain low prices." In this regard, the U.S. Treasury is providing a temporary permit for the purchase of Russian oil that is currently at sea. Bessent noted that this measure is short-term and will not bring significant benefits to Russia.
According to Kirill Dmitriev, special representative of the President of Russia, the lifting of restrictions by the U.S. will affect about 100 million barrels of Russian oil, as reported by "Meduza."
Recall that at the end of February, the U.S. and Israel began conducting strikes against Iran. In response, Tehran is attacking Israel and countries it considers allies of Washington. Iran has also effectively blocked the Strait of Hormuz, through which 25% of global oil supplies pass. This has led to a sharp increase in oil prices. On March 9, the price of Brent crude oil reached nearly $120 per barrel in trading, the highest level since June 2022.
At the beginning of March, the U.S. Treasury announced a temporary lifting of the ban on the purchase of Russian oil for Indian refineries for a period of 30 days. Countries that are part of the International Energy Agency (IEA), including the U.S., Turkey, the United Kingdom, and Germany, agreed to release 400 million barrels from their strategic reserves, which is one-third of the total volume. At the same time, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) stated that "it is impossible to artificially suppress the rise in oil prices" and warned that preparations should be made for a price of "$200 per barrel."
