New Delhi: The Trump administration on Friday (April 17) renewed a waiver allowing countries including India to purchase sanctioned Russian oil at sea for around a month, reported Reuters.The US Treasury Department’s waiver allows countries to buy Russian oil and petroleum products loaded on vessels as of Friday till May 16. The extension of the waiver comes after the previous 30-day waiver expired on April 11.It had earlier granted the waiver, applying to Russian oil stranded at sea, amid the unprecedented disruption to global energy flows precipitated by Iran’s retaliatory blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.US treasury secretary Scott Bessent had on Wednesday (April 15) said that his administration would not renew the waiver. “That was oil that was on the water prior to March 11. So all that has been used,” he’d said.But Asian countries, hit by the energy supply disruptions, have pressed Washington to renew the license, notes Reuters, which earlier reported that the Modi government expected the US to issue a renewal.India has purchased Russian crude – which it had cut back on under from under pressure from the Trump administration – under the waiver, with Bloomberg reporting that it bought its highest daily average quantity of the oil in March since June 2023.Last month, the US Treasury Department had authorised the sale of Russian oil to India for a period of 30 days, an effort meant to relieve price pressures caused by the ongoing conflict with Iran.This decision had led Russia to rejoice, but the fact that India’s energy security depends on permissions from a foreign country had led to impassioned outrage by opposition leaders.Last year, the Trump administration had imposed a 25% ‘penalty’ tariff on Indian exports citing the purchase of Russian crude, atop an already heavy 25% ‘reciprocal’ tariff. This penalty was withdrawn earlier this year but Trump had said that his government could consider re-imposing the levy were New Delhi to “directly or indirectly” resume intake.