U.S. Treasury Secretary Bensont said today (March 6): "President Trump's energy agenda has pushed U.S. oil and gas production to record highs. To ensure a continuous flow of oil into the global market, the U.S. Treasury is issuing a 30-day temporary exemption allowing Indian refining companies to purchase Russian oil. This deliberately set short-term measure will not bring significant economic benefits to the Russian government, as it only authorizes transactions related to oil already stranded at sea. India is an important partner of the United States, and we fully expect New Delhi to increase its purchases of U.S. oil. This temporary measure will ease the pressure caused by Iran's attempt to use global energy as a hostage."
Comment: This move by the United States is a typical strategic balancing act under the context of escalating U.S.-Iran tensions and global energy market turbulence. On the surface, the U.S. claims to maintain global energy supply, only allows the release of oil stranded at sea, and does not give Russia significant revenue, desperately maintaining the dignity of sanctions against Russia; but in essence, it is to hedge against the impact of Iran's blockade of energy channels, prevent oil prices from spiraling out of control, triggering U.S. inflation, and affecting the midterm election prospects. The so-called 30-day temporary exemption is nothing more than a way to solve its own urgent problems first. The U.S. is easing restrictions on Russian oil for India while also demanding that India increase its future purchases of U.S. oil, exposing a dual calculation of both trying to stabilize India and harvest the Indian market. Bensont's statement attributes the market pressure to Iran, but the fundamental cause is the U.S. launching an aggressive war, which is a shameless act of shifting blame.
Original: toutiao.com/article/1858897163158667/
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