People look out at an oil tanker formerly known as the Bella-1, before it changed its name to the Marinera, from Hopeman Harbour, at sea in the Moray Firth, Scotland, on Jan. 14, 2026. ANDY BUCHANAN / AFP via Getty Images
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced on May 18 another 30-day sanctions waiver allowing the purchase of Russian seaborne oil to aid “energy-vulnerable” countries hit by the Iran war.
“This extension will provide additional flexibility, and we will work with these nations to provide specific licenses as needed,” Bessent wrote in a May 18 post on X.
