The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump issued a one-month sanctions waiver on Friday, permitting the sale of Russian oil and petroleum products currently at sea, extending an earlier measure aimed at easing rising energy prices.
The license, issued by the Treasury Department, came just two days after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that Washington would not extend the waiver.
The updated decision allows the purchase of oil and petroleum products loaded onto vessels as of Friday, valid until 12:01 a.m. on May 16th.
It prolongs an earlier easing of sanctions that expired on April 11th.
On Wednesday, however, Bessent told reporters that the United States would not extend such waivers for Russian—or Iranian—oil.
Both measures were intended to ease global supply shocks linked to the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran. Tehran responded by closing off the Strait of Hormuz—a key route for global energy shipments.
Oil prices have since risen sharply, putting pressure on importing countries, particularly those dependent on energy supplies from the region.
