The US has granted India a 30-day waiver allowing New Delhi to purchase Russian crude, a short-term measure intended to keep oil flowing into global markets amid a sharp slowdown in shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the waiver “will not provide significant financial benefit to the Russian government as it only authorizes transactions involving oil already stranded at sea.”
The move comes as maritime traffic in and out of the Persian Gulf has plunged, heightening energy security concerns worldwide. India began buying discounted Russian crude in large volumes after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, and has faced US pressure — including tariffs and trade negotiations — to curb those purchases. Recent easing of some US tariffs followed an interim US-India trade deal.
Raisina Dialogue sees high-level participation amid regional tensions
Day two of the Raisina Dialogue 2026 in New Delhi took place with hundreds of diplomats and officials attending. Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh delivered a stark address, calling recent US actions “an existential war” for Iran and accusing the US of launching attacks based on lies and disinformation. He said Iran had been forced to respond to US strikes and denied having closed the Strait of Hormuz, warning tankers linked to the US or Israel could be blocked. Khatibzadeh also met India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on the sidelines.
India, Sri Lanka and regional incidents
Sri Lanka began offloading more than 200 crew from the Iranian vessel IRIS Bushehr after the ship requested entry due to engine trouble. The move follows the sinking of the Iranian warship IRIS Dena in the Indian Ocean by a US torpedo, an incident that prompted regional search-and-rescue activity in which India and Sri Lanka were involved.
Domestic policy and energy measures in India
Karnataka state announced plans to ban social media access for children under 16, a proposal flagged in the state budget by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah intended to curb harmful effects of mobile use among youths. Civil liberties groups have raised questions about implementation, age verification, privacy risks, and exemptions for educational use.
Separately, the central government has instructed refiners to maximize production of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and supply it exclusively to state-run firms Indian Oil, BPCL and HPCL for domestic distribution. Refiners were also told not to divert propane and butane — key LPG components — to petrochemical production. About 70–80% of Indian households use LPG for cooking, and imports make up roughly two-thirds of the country’s consumption, with the Middle East supplying the bulk.
Other headlines
The Indian Air Force confirmed two fighter pilots were killed in a Sukhoi-30 crash, a development noted among the day’s top stories.