India - United States Relations
- Thread starter Butter Chicken
- Start date
Even the 15% Global tariffs shall require approval from Congress(both houses) post 150 days and with high chances of failing there. Mr. Trump is clearly frustrated and is not willing to take a L. Lol.
I know you would want that, don't you?
He is talking about India, China, and the EU. He currently has 5 options:
1. Section 122 (Balance of Payment): The maximum tariff is 15% and it can be imposed for 150 days. After that, Congress approval is required to extend the period. This is the weakest option.
2. Section 301 (Unfair Trade Practices): He can target any country through this, and it has no cap like Section 122. It was used against China in 2018. However, investigations are required and it is legally challengeable. This is not toothless. It just takes time.
3. Section 232 (National Security): This is one of the more powerful options and it has no tariff percentage ceiling. It can be imposed on aluminum, semiconductors, electric vehicles, and similar sectors. No Congress approval is needed. It only requires a Commerce Department investigation.
4. Anti Dumping Duties: These are narrow and industry specific. They are rule based and harder to weaponize politically across entire economies.
5. Export Controls and Sanctions: This is the real trump card where actual leverage sits. Through this, Trump can impose semiconductor bans, technology restrictions, investment blocking, financial sanctions, and entity listings. These can hurt more than tariffs. In most cases, no Congress approval is required because export control and sanctions authorities are already delegated under existing laws.
Conclusion: He still has enough firepower to create maximum disruption.
Russian oil never went away. It was just not being reported:
Let the games start:
A tanker carrying Russian Urals crude declaring Singapore as its destination but actually unloading in India.
Map form @Kpler
see next
Four fully loaded tankers carrying Russian Urals crude are hiding near an Omani port. Why? We haven't seen this before.
Indian refiners likely to pivot back to Russian oil amid Gulf tensions, LPG flows face greater risks
India’s crude flows can be buffered through strategic petroleum reserves, commercial stocks and Russian optionality, LPG, however, has thinner structural buffers, noted data and analytics firm Kpler.
By Arunima Bharadwaj
March 01, 2026 / 13:31 IST
Indian refiners likely to pivot back to Russian oil amid Gulf tensions, LPG flows face greater risks. Pic: Representative.
Indian refiners are expected to turn back to Russian oil supplies if access to the Middle Eastern grades becomes constrained amid heightened geopolitical risks and potential blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
A disruption of the Strait of Hormuz will affect as much as 50% of India’s monthly total oil imports and almost all of its LPG purchases, analysts say.
Roughly 2.5-2.7 million barrels per day of India’s crude imports transit Hormuz, largely from Iraq, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Kuwait, as per data and analytics firm Kpler.
Over the past two to three months, India’s dependence on Middle Eastern barrels has increased as refiners have pivoted away from a portion of Russian volumes after the US sanctioned major Russian oil producers Rosneft and Lukoil. While announcing the India-US trade deal, US President Donald Trump also said that India had agreed to stop buying Russian oil.
“As a result, the relative weight of Gulf-origin crude in India’s import basket has risen, increasing short-term sensitivity to any disruption in Hormuz transit,” said Sumit Ritolia, lead research analyst, refining and modelling at Kpler.
Kpler tracking indicates continued availability of Russian cargoes in the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea region, including volumes in floating storage. “Should Middle Eastern inflows tighten, Indian refiners could pivot back toward Russian grades relatively quickly,” Ritolia said.
While India has a diversified crude import slate, Gulf crude retains a clear logistical advantage with a 5–7 days voyage compared to 25–45 days of voyage from the Atlantic, according to analysts at Kpler.
India’s dependence on Middle Eastern crude had already increased in the last two months to 50% of total imports from 40% in November-December 2025, followed by a pullback from Russian barrels amid tighter US and EU sanctions.
Kpler data showed India imported 1.15 million bpd of Russian oil as of February 24 against 1.09 million bpd in January. Imports from Iraq, however, declined to 942,000 bpd against 1.02 million bpd last month, while Saudi Arabia has exported 1.11 million bpd so far compared to 774,000 bpd in January.
Nikhil Dubey, senior research analyst, refining and modeling at Kpler, noted that if flows are constrained, energy security considerations would push India back toward Russian barrels currently parked in the Arabian Sea.
India’s LPG flows most exposed to Hormuz disruptions
The escalating tensions in the Middle East have not only put India’s crude oil supplies at risk but have also pressured the country’s LPG flows, with 80–85% of its LPG needs, with the majority sourced from Gulf suppliers, almost entirely transiting via the Strait of Hormuz.
Analysts also noted that while India’s crude flows can be buffered through strategic petroleum reserves, commercial stocks, and Russian optionality, LPG, however, has thinner structural buffers. Unlike crude, LPG sourcing flexibility is limited, making the potential impact more acute, they say.
“Escalating Middle East tensions once again highlight a structural reality that India remains materially exposed to the Strait of Hormuz, not just for crude oil, but even more so for LPG and LNG,” said Ritolia.
Ritolia noted that, unlike crude, India does not maintain strategic LPG reserves of comparable scale, making LPG flows more logistically sensitive in a disruption scenario.
As per data from the Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell, the country imported 18.79 million metric tonnes of LPG during April-January of FY26 against 17.2 million tonnes imported during the same period of the previous fiscal. The country’s LPG consumption stood at 28 million tonnes during the period compared to 31.3 million tonnes in FY25.
"India imports almost all of its LPG through the Strait of Hormuz. Any disruption or restriction at this chokepoint would immediately pressure LPG flows,” said Nikhil Dubey, senior research analyst, refining and modeling at Kpler.
Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz said on X that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the “opening blow” of a joint military operation against Iran. The US and Israel, in a joint operation, launched an attack on Iran on February 28 with plans to carry out several days of intensive attacks.
https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/b...ns-lpg-flows-face-greater-risks-13847080.html
We could potentially see Russian LNG being picked up by Indian buyers.
As predicted in that article all the floating Russian crude oil is getting picked up by Indian refiners:
LNG purchases from Russia are starting up:
We have known this for ages, but only now the snakes are unveiling their true intent. Those who support Uncle Sam, just pay heed.
Thogh i am a pro US weapons , i want to know this "what happened to India?" We known to be country who resist bullying from west, and now we ended up like this, who is US to grand permission for our international purchase. Unfortunate degrade of indian stance.
I mean i dont think thr US waiver was gonna matter anyway but hey its welcome since they wont start screaming at us. But India was going to buy russian oil either way
Some one remembering Devayani Khobgrade incidents? MMS government fought fiercely on US afterwards. And what this government is gonna to do this "Indians have been very good actors" statement? Any official protest expecting?He figuratively said we indians are puppets or like a circus monkey.
Indians, except for the Pappu IT cells, libtards, some people on this forum, etc. couldn't care less about what the US says.
I thought your loyalties were with the US, so why of all the people out there are you expecting a statement?
There is a thing called self respect. You need to born in to a father & mother, not only to a mother.