Trump administration temporarily lifts sanctions on Iranian oil at sea amid soaring prices
Source: CBS News
Politics
Trump administration temporarily lifts sanctions on Iranian oil at sea amid soaring prices
By Joe Walsh
Updated on: March 20, 2026 / 8:28 PM EDT / CBS News
The U.S. Treasury has authorized the purchase of Iranian oil that's already at sea, exempting buyers from the tight sanctions that have restricted the country's oil industry for years -- a move aimed at stemming soaring prices amid the U.S.'s war with Iran.
The sanctions license allows oil from Iran to be purchased if it was loaded onto a ship by 12:01 a.m. ET on Friday. The authorization lasts until April 19. They do not cover people located in North Korea, Cuba or the parts of Ukraine occupied by Russia.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Friday the move could free up around 140 million barrels of oil that otherwise would've been "hoarded by China on the cheap," referring to China's status as the largest importer of Iranian oil.
"In essence, we will be using the Iranian barrels against Tehran to keep the price down as we continue Operation Epic Fury," Bessent said in a statement, casting it as a way of "expanding the amount of worldwide energy and helping to relieve the temporary pressures on supply caused by Iran."
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Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/trump-administration-temporarily-lifts-sanctions-on-iranian-oil-at-sea/
The Russian-flagged tanker headed for Cuba might be a factor too.
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143635535#post1
The tanker Sea Horse is one of the vessels making its way to Cuba, according to maritime intelligence firm Windward. The Hong Kong-flagged ship is estimated to be carrying around 190,000 barrels of Russian gasoil and tracking suggests it could be set to deliver its cargo in the coming days.
The tanker has been engaged in deceptive shipping practices, an analysis published Wednesday by Windward found, including switching off its location transponders (or AIS “spoofing”) during oil transfer, and it lacks Western insurance, which Windward says indicates potential sanctions circumvention.
A second Russian-flagged oil tanker, the sanctioned Anatoly Kolodkin, is also thought to be on its way to Cuba carrying 730,000 barrels of crude oil, maritime analytics firm Kpler said Wednesday, according to AFP. CNBC has contacted Kpler and is awaiting a response.
The shipments represent an act of defiance to the U.S., given that Washington has threatened to impose tariffs on any country that supplies it with oil. The Kremlin has previously shrugged off Trump’s tariff threats, pointing out that Washington and Moscow “don’t have much trade right now.”
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= new reply since forum marked as read
Donnie wants out. He want's out of this mess badly. I wonder if he'll blame Nuttyyahoo for getting him into this mess. 
