The United States allowed its waiver of sanctions on Russian seaborne oil to expire at midnight on June 17.
Washington has twice previously allowed the waiver to expire in recent months only to extend it days later.
During the war with Iran, the Trump administration waived the measures to help vulnerable economies cope with the energy crisis that ensued from the resulting closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of global oil supplies previously flowed.
On June 18, in the wake of Washington and Tehran signing a memorandum of understanding to end the war, which would allow oil from the Middle East to reach global markets, Trump was asked during the G7 summit in France whether the sanctions on oil transported by sea from Russia would be reimposed….