New Delhi: United States (US) President Donald Trump has unveiled what he called a “historic” USD 300 billion refinery deal in Texas with backing from Reliance Industries, even as India contends with an energy crisis set off by the Iran war that has put New Delhi under pressure at home and abroad.Hours later, US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor issued a reconciliatory public message on India’s continued purchases of Russian oil, implicitly acknowledging New Delhi’s dependence on Russian crude to navigate the turmoil.Trump announced the project on Truth Social, calling it “A HISTORIC $300 BILLION DOLLAR DEAL — THE BIGGEST IN U.S. HISTORY.” He thanked “India’s largest privately held energy company, Reliance,” for what he called a “tremendous Investment” in the refinery, to be built at the Port of Brownsville, Texas.America First Refining, the company behind the project, said in a press release on Tuesday that it had received a “nine-figure investment from a global supermajor at a 10-figure valuation” in February and signed a binding 20-year offtake agreement with the same unnamed partner.AFR did not identify the partner in its statement.Reliance, India’s largest private refiner, has not publicly confirmed any involvement in the deal. The Indian conglomerate issued a separate statement late on Monday on domestic supplies of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), saying it was working with authorities and industry partners to maintain availability as the global energy crisis tightened supply chains.It was a reference to the energy crisis roiling India due to the ongoing war in Gulf which began with US and Israel striking Iran on February 28. Iran retaliated by expanding the war by striking neighbouring Arab countries which host US assets.Later on Wednesday, US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor posted on X that “India has been a great partner in maintaining stable oil prices around the world” and that Washington recognises ”ongoing purchases of Russian oil are a part of this effort”. He added that “it is essential for the United States and India to work hand in hand for market stability for Americans and Indians”.India has been a great partner in maintaining stable oil prices around the world. The United States recognizes ongoing purchases of Russian oil are a part of this effort. India is one of the largest consumers and refiners of oil and it is essential for the United States and India…— Ambassador Sergio Gor (@USAmbIndia) March 11, 2026The tweet followed growing outrage in New Delhi over statements by senior US officials that portrayed India as acting under American ‘orders’ in the energy sphere. It also came just hours after Trump’s refinery announcement and as domestic criticism mounted that the Modi government had allowed foreign policy choices to be shaped by the White House.The Iran war, launched by a US‑Israel offensive that has choked shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, has sent crude and gas prices soaring and raised the spectre of a prolonged supply shock.On Wednesday night, Indian external affairs minister S Jaishankar held a “detailed” phone conversation with his Iranian counterpart Seyed Abbas Araghchi, which the latter noted was largely about the shipping crisis at Strait of Hormuz. The Iranian foreign minister blamed the United States for the squeezing of supplies through the Strait and asserted that “international community must hold the US accountable for this situation”.New Delhi, which depends heavily on West Asian supplies, has already invoked emergency powers under the Essential Commodities Act to order refiners to maximise LPG output and prioritise fuel for households and other “priority sectors”.Washington had previously ratcheted up tariffs on Indian goods to 50% to force New Delhi to curb purchases of Russian oil, only easing them to 18% in February after India agreed to gradually halt Russian oil imports and purchasing USD 500 billion in American energy and technology products.Under this pressure, Indian refiners sharply reduced Russian crude intake by the end of last year, leaving the country more exposed to price volatility just as the Iran conflict intensified and LNG and LPG cargoes became harder to secure.Reliance, once India’s largest buyer of discounted Russian crude, itself has been deeply affected by the shifting geopolitical environment created by Trump’s policies.Trump tariffs had forced Reliance to switch to costlier oil from the Gulf by end of 2025.A US-India trade deal in February 2026 then reduced those tariffs to 18% after India committed to phasing out Russian purchases and buying USD 500 billion worth of American energy and technology products, boosting Reliance shares by 7%.Five days after the start of the Iran war, US issued a 30-day India-specific waiver on March 5, covering about 20 million barrels of stranded Russian crude, allowing Reliance and others to resume buys amid Hormuz gridlock.