US accused of double standards on Russian oil

Metro India News | DUBAI 

Iran has accused the United States of adopting double standards on global energy politics, claiming that Washington is now urging countries, including India, to buy Russian crude despite earlier pressuring them to stop such imports.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi made the remarks in a post on social media platform X on Friday. He alleged that the US had spent months pressuring India to halt purchases of Russian oil but has now changed its stance following recent developments in the Middle East.

According to Araghchi, the White House is now asking the international community, including India, to purchase crude from Russia after tensions escalated in the Gulf region.

His remarks come after the United States reportedly issued a 30-day waiver on March 5 allowing India to continue buying Russian oil, even though strict sanctions had earlier been imposed over the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

The Iranian minister also criticised the position taken by several European nations on the conflict in West Asia. He described the ongoing war against Iran as illegal and claimed that Europe believed supporting the US in the confrontation would help secure Washington’s backing against Russia. Araghchi further termed the current approach of the administration led by Donald Trump as “pathetic”, accusing it of shifting policies on Russian crude purchases.

Regional tensions escalated after the United States and Israel launched joint attacks on Iran beginning February 28, following mounting pressure from Washington on Tehran to agree to a new agreement over its nuclear programme.

Iran’s retaliatory actions later expanded the conflict across parts of the Gulf region, raising concerns over stability and energy security in West Asia.