Politics
India under fire after US says it ‘allowed’ Russian oil purchases

- US grants India 30-day Russian oil waiver.
- Congress says Washington dictates India’s oil choices.
- Tamil Nadu CM questions India seeking foreign approval.
KARACHI: India’s Narendra Modi-led government has come under renewed criticism from opposition parties and sections of the public after the United States said it had temporarily allowed Indian refiners to buy Russian oil stranded at sea, The News reported.
The criticism centres on a statement by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who said in a post on X early Friday that the Treasury Department was issuing a 30-day waiver to allow Indian refiners to purchase Russian oil in order to keep oil flowing into the global market.
Opposition parties argued that the move made India appear dependent on Washington’s approval. In a post on X, the Congress party said the Modi government had led the country “to a situation where the United States is now deciding where India can buy oil from and where it cannot”.
The waiver, which the US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said was issued to “enable oil to keep flowing into the global market,” comes under heightened tensions in the Middle East following the US-Israeli attack on Iran, sparking uncertainty around oil.
It should be noted that India had earlier said it would stop purchasing Russian oil as part of a trade deal with the US.
MK Stalin, chief minister of the southern state of Tamil Nadu, questioned why India should appear to seek approval from any foreign government to meet its energy needs.
“Equally troubling is the sinking of the unarmed Iranian warship IRIS Dena by the United States soon after it participated in the International Fleet Review 2026 naval exercise hosted by India in Visakhapatnam. When a ship that came to India as part of a multinational exercise meets such a fate, India cannot appear silent or passive,” he added.
Bessent further added, “This deliberately short-term measure will not provide significant financial benefit to the Russian government as it only authorises transactions involving oil already stranded at sea. India is an essential partner of the United States, and we fully anticipate that New Delhi will ramp up purchases of US oil. This stop-gap measure will alleviate pressure caused by Iran’s attempt to take global energy hostage.”
Journalist Rana Ayyub added with America’s permission, “we now sound like an American colony”.
India was the top buyer of Russian seaborne crude after Moscow’s 2022 Ukraine invasion, but in January its refiners started to reduce purchases under pressure from Washington. Cutting Russian oil purchases helped New Delhi avoid 25 per cent tariffs and clinch an interim trade deal with the US.
India is vulnerable to energy supply shocks, with crude stocks covering only about 25 days of demand. India receives about 40% of its oil imports from the Middle East through the Strait of Hormuz.
According to The Guardian, which quoted Reuters, a source directly involved with the matter said India had approached Trump’s administration seeking approval to buy Russian crude imports because of the Iran conflict.
Politics
Iran Assures Neighbours of Non-Aggression Amid Regional Tensions

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has issued a significant statement aimed at easing regional tensions, assuring that Iran will not launch missile strikes or take aggressive action against neighbouring countries.
The president said the decision was taken with the approval of the Interim Leadership Council, stressing that Iran’s policy of non-aggression will remain in place as long as no attacks are carried out on Iranian territory.
Commitment to Peace
In a message shared on social media, Pezeshkian said Iran harbours no hostility toward regional countries and expressed regret over the recent tensions affecting neighbouring states.
“We harbor no hostility toward regional countries and apologize for the recent situation with our neighbors,” the president said.
Sovereignty Will Be Protected
While calling for peace, Pezeshkian also emphasized that Iran’s sovereignty and national security would not be compromised.
He added that diplomatic efforts and mediation aimed at ending the ongoing conflict should be led by the countries that initiated the confrontation.
Regional De-escalation Efforts
The statement comes amid rising tensions in the Middle East following military exchanges involving Iran, Israel, and the United States, prompting calls from several countries for de-escalation and dialogue to restore regional stability.
Politics
Dubai introduces new public safety laws, fines up to AED2m

DUBAI: Dubai has announced the implementation of a new public safety law introducing stricter regulations for public spaces and events, with fines ranging from AED500 ($136) to AED1 million ($272,000), authorities said.
Under the legislation, repeat violations within one year could result in fines of up to AED2 million, officials added.
The new law, which takes effect across the emirate on June 1, sets out enhanced safety requirements for public venues and gatherings.
The rules were issued by Dubai’s Ruler, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
According to the regulations, public venues and events must ensure safe entry and exit routes, adequate lighting, and capacity limits to prevent overcrowding.
Event organisers will be required to provide firefighting equipment, emergency evacuation plans, first aid facilities, and trained security personnel.
Compliance with safety instructions at public venues has been made mandatory.
The law also requires adherence to designated swimming times at beaches and prohibits access to restricted areas.
Possession of explosives or fireworks without a permit is banned, as is the use and transport of hazardous or flammable materials.
Politics
India let Iran warship dock the day US sank another off Sri Lanka, say officials

India has allowed an Iranian warship to dock as a humanitarian gesture, Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said on Saturday, after the US sank another Iranian navy vessel off neighbouring Sri Lanka.
The Lavan docked at India’s southern port of Kochi on Wednesday, the same day the US submarine struck Iranian navy frigate Dena, after an urgent request from Tehran, an Indian government source told Reuters.
US President Donald Trump has said destroying the Iranian navy is one aim of the war he and Israel launched against the Islamic Republic a week ago.
The Lavan – an amphibious landing vessel, according to the US Naval Institute’s online news site – and two other ships “were coming in for a fleet review and then they got, in a way, caught on the wrong side of the events,” Jaishankar told the annual Raisina Dialogue event.
“I think we really approached it from the point of view of humanity, of other than whatever the legal issues were,” he said. “I think we did the right thing.”
At least 87 people were killed in the US attack on the Dena in Sri Lanka’s exclusive economic zone, 19 nautical miles off the coast, outside its maritime boundaries.
India received the docking request for the Lavan on February 28, the day the Iran war started, the source said late on Friday, adding that the request “was urgent as the vessel had developed technical issues”.
Its 183 crew members have been accommodated at naval facilities in Kochi, said the source, who asked not to be identified citing confidentiality.
The Dena was on its way back from a naval exercise organised by India, according to the drill’s website and Sri Lankan officials.
Sri Lankan authorities said on Friday that they were escorting the Iranian naval ship Booshehr to a harbour on the eastern coast and moving most of its crew to a navy camp near Colombo.
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