‘US can do muscle-flexing because…’: Kanwal Sibal on US not renewing waivers for Iranian and Russian oil
Kanwal Sibal said it was irresponsible of the US to be “playing games with global oil supplies” and damaging the economies of oil consuming countries.
- Apr 16, 2026,
- Updated Apr 16, 2026 1:12 PM IST
The US can do muscle-flexing now that it is self-sufficient in energy, said former foreign secretary Kanwal Sibal. This comes after the US said it will not renew the waivers that allowed purchase of some Iranian and Russian oil without facing US sanctions.
Sibal said the US was treating other nations as puppets through its arbitrary exercise of power to give or deny permission. “Because the US is now self-sufficient in energy, it can do this muscle-flexing. High oil prices bring profit bonanzas to US oil companies, though higher prices at the pump is a political negative with the American consumer,” said Sibal.
He said it was irresponsible of the US to be “playing games with global oil supplies” and damaging the economies of oil consuming countries. “The US is making sure victim countries will actively search ways to shield themselves from America’s hegemonic reflexes,” he said.
Washington said it will not renew the 30-day waiver of sanctions on Iranian oil at sea that expires this week. A similar waiver on sanctions on Russian oil expired over the weekend.
"We will not be renewing the general license on Russian oil, and we will not be renewing the general license on Iranian oil. That was oil that was on the water prior to March 11. So all that has been used," said US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent at a White House briefing.
These decisions mark the end of the Trump administration's efforts to use sanctions waivers to increase oil supplies and reduce rising global energy prices. The Iranian waiver, issued by the Treasury Department on March 20, allowed about 140 million barrels of oil to enter global markets and helped ease energy supply pressures during the war. This waiver is set to expire on April 19.
The US can do muscle-flexing now that it is self-sufficient in energy, said former foreign secretary Kanwal Sibal. This comes after the US said it will not renew the waivers that allowed purchase of some Iranian and Russian oil without facing US sanctions.
Sibal said the US was treating other nations as puppets through its arbitrary exercise of power to give or deny permission. “Because the US is now self-sufficient in energy, it can do this muscle-flexing. High oil prices bring profit bonanzas to US oil companies, though higher prices at the pump is a political negative with the American consumer,” said Sibal.
He said it was irresponsible of the US to be “playing games with global oil supplies” and damaging the economies of oil consuming countries. “The US is making sure victim countries will actively search ways to shield themselves from America’s hegemonic reflexes,” he said.
Washington said it will not renew the 30-day waiver of sanctions on Iranian oil at sea that expires this week. A similar waiver on sanctions on Russian oil expired over the weekend.
"We will not be renewing the general license on Russian oil, and we will not be renewing the general license on Iranian oil. That was oil that was on the water prior to March 11. So all that has been used," said US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent at a White House briefing.
These decisions mark the end of the Trump administration's efforts to use sanctions waivers to increase oil supplies and reduce rising global energy prices. The Iranian waiver, issued by the Treasury Department on March 20, allowed about 140 million barrels of oil to enter global markets and helped ease energy supply pressures during the war. This waiver is set to expire on April 19.