• Lawmakers criticise “benefiting” Russia amid Ukraine war.
• Analyst warns energy market tools are “nearly exhausted”.
• European Union urges no relaxation of Russia sanctions.
  

WASHINGTON: The Trump administration has renewed a waiver allowing countries to buy sanctioned Russian oil at sea for about a month, even as lawmakers accused the government of going easy on Moscow as its war on Ukraine grinds on.

The Treasury Department’s waiver lets countries purchase Russian oil and petroleum products loaded on vessels as of Friday through May 16. It replaces a 30-day waiver that expired on April 11 and excludes transactions involving Iran, Cuba and North Korea.

The move is part of the administration’s effort to control global energy prices that have shot higher during the US-Israeli war on Iran. It came after countries in Asia, suffering from the global energy shock, pressed Washington to allow alternative supplies to reach markets.

Reversal by treasury

“As negotiations (with Iran) accelerate, Treasury wants to ensure oil is available to those who need it,” a Treasury Department spokesperson said.

Just two days earlier, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Washington would not be renewing the waiver for Russian oil and another for Iranian oil, which is set to expire on Sunday.

Global oil prices tumbled 9% on Friday to about $90 a barrel after Iran temporarily reopened the Strait of Hormuz, an oil choke point in the Gulf. But the war has already created the worst global energy supply disruption in history, the International Energy Agency has said.

The war, which entered its eighth week on Saturday, has damaged more than 80 oil and gas facilities in the Middle East, and Tehran has warned it ​could close the strait again if the recent US Navy blockade of Iranian ports continued.

High oil prices are a threat to President Donald Trump’s fellow Republicans ahead of November’s midterm elections.

Trump has also faced pressure from partner countries on the oil price. A US source said partner countries on the sidelines of the Group of 20, World Bank, and International Monetary Fund meetings in Washington this week had requested the US extend the waiver.

And he spoke about oil this week in a call with Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, a big purchaser of Russian oil.

The waiver on Iranian oil, which the Treasury Department issued on March 20, allowed some 140 million barrels of oil to ​reach global markets and helped relieve pressure on energy supply, Bessent said last month.

Lasting damage

US lawmakers from both political parties had slammed the administration over the sanctions waivers, saying they stood to help the economy of Iran while it was at war with the US and of Russia as it was at war with Ukraine.

The waivers could impede the West’s efforts to deprive Russia of revenue for its war in Ukraine ​and put Washington at odds with its allies. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said now is not the time to relax sanctions against Russia.

Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev said in a social media post about the renewal of the waiver: “US-Russian economic and energy cooperation will continue.”

He had said the first waiver on Russian oil would free 100 million barrels of crude, equal to almost a day’s worth of global output.

Brett Erickson, a sanctions expert at the consulting firm Obsidian Risk Advisors, said Friday’s renewal is likely not the last waiver Washington will issue.

“The conflict has done lasting damage to global energy markets, and the tools available to stabilise them are nearly exhausted,” Erickson said.

A 5.5-magnitude earthquake jolted Islamabad, Peshawar and several parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Saturday, the Seismological Centre data showed.

The tremors were also felt in Swat, Hangu, North Waziristan and Chitral, while residents Rawalpindi experienced the shaking as well.

The seismological centre said the earthquake was moderate level, measured 5.5 in magnitude and occurred at a depth of 199 kilometres.

It added that the epicentre was located in the Koh Hindu Kush region.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

— This is a developing story and is being updated with additional details.

David Harbour has joined the cast of John Rambo, the origin story prequel to the iconic Sylvester Stallone franchise, taking on the role of Major Trautman, Rambo’s commanding officer and the closest thing the one-man fighting force has ever had to a calming influence.

The Stranger Things star is a late addition to the film, which wrapped production in Thailand in March. 

In the original Rambo trilogy of the 1980s, the role of Trautman was played by Richard Crenna. 

Harbour steps into those shoes for a story set before the events of First Blood, following a young John Rambo, played by Noah Centineo, as a soldier fighting in the jungle, years before he becomes the stoic loner audiences came to know.

The film is directed by Jalmari Helander, the Finnish filmmaker behind the Sisu movies, known for their brutal and uncompromising action. 

It is another high-profile addition to what is shaping up to be a very busy period for Harbour. 

He is currently receiving strong notices for his role as Floyd Smernitch in DTF St. Louis, has Avengers: Doomsday in post-production, and is also working on Violent Night 2, Evil Genius and Lionsgate’s A Head Full of Ghosts. 

He previously worked with AGBO on Extraction, making John Rambo a reunion of sorts with the production company.