The White House, on Tuesday, once against stated its reasoning behind “allowing” India to purchase Russian oil. Speaking to reporters, press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that the decision, which has approved by US President Donald Trump and US Treasury Department comes as “our allies in India have been good actors”.. US President Donald Trump and PM Narendra Modi during a news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington DC (Bloomberg). “We came to this decision as our allies in India have been good actors and had previously stopped buying sanctioned Russian oil.so as we work to appease this temporary gap of oil supply on the world because of the Iranians, we have temporarily permitted India to accept Russian oil,” said Leavitt.. Follow LIVE updates on US Iran war. She added that the US approved this decision as this Russian oil coming to India was “already at sea” and will “not provide significant financial benefit to the Russian government.”. India ‘allowed’ to purchase Russian oil. Earlier this month, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also stated that India would be allowed to purchase Russian oil amid the oil supply crisis caused by the ongoing conflict in West Asia. A waiver was also signed by President Trump. “Indians have been very good actors, they stopped buying Russian Oil when we ordered them, now we are allowing them to accept Russian Oil to create supply,” Bessent told FOX News.. Also Read | ‘To take a little pressure off’: Trump on US waiver to India for Russian oil purchase amid Iran war. This remark from Bessent comes after the US and India announced the framework of their trade deal, which saw a reduction of tariffs on New Delhi from 50 per cent to 18 per cent. India was initially marked up at 25 per cent tariffs under Trump’s ‘liberation day’ exercise.. This was later raised to 50 per cent by Trump as a penalty for India’s purchase of Russian oil, as he accused New Delhi of “fuelling the war in Ukraine”.. However, with the US-India trade deal, the White House stated that the tariff on India has been reduced based on commitment from New Delhi to reduce and halt its purchase of Russian oil.. India has not explicitly stated it will halt its purchase of Russian oil, but has stated that in a “volatile energy market environment, New Delhi will continue to prioritise it’s population of 1.4 billion.”. US-Iran war sparks oil crisis. The ongoing conflict between the US, Israel and Iran in West Asia has sparked a crisis in the oil and energy industry after supply lines were hit. Due to the war-like conflict, Iran announced it will be closing the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route through which 20 per cent of the world’s oil and gas supply passes through.. Most oil exports from OPEC producers such as Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, the UAE and Iran, move through this strait, primarily to Asia. Qatar also sends almost all its LNG exports through these waters.. Due to this impact on supply lin 

 External affairs minister S Jaishankar spoke to his Iranian counterpart Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Tuesday – their third phone call since the start of the Iran-US war last month – and discussed the latest developments in the conflict in West Asia.. Jaishankar and Araghchi had spoken earlier on February 28, shortly after Israel and the US launched military strikes that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and on March 5, when foreign secretary Vikram Misri visited the Iranian embassy to sign the condolence book for Khamenei. (ani). Jaishankar also spoke to German foreign minister Johann Wadephul and South Korean foreign minister Cho Hyun to discuss the situation in West Asia as part of India’s continuing outreach to key partners in different parts of the world to coordinate positions on the widening conflict.. Follow LIVE updates on the US Iran war here. “A detailed conversation this evening with Foreign Minister @araghchi of Iran on the latest developments regarding the ongoing conflict. We agreed to remain in touch,” Jaishankar said on social media without giving details. There was no official readout on the phone call.. Jaishankar and Araghchi had spoken earlier on February 28, shortly after Israel and the US launched military strikes that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and on March 5, when foreign secretary Vikram Misri visited the Iranian embassy to sign the condolence book for Khamenei.. Tuesday’s phone conversation was the first since a US submarine torpedoed and sank an Iranian frigate near Sri Lanka on March 4, while the warship was in regional waters after participating in a multi-nation exercise hosted by India and after Khamenei’s son Mojtaba Khamenei was chosen to succeed his father.. Jaishankar said on social media that he and Wadephul had exchanged views on the conflict in West Asia but didn’t offer details. He also said in another post that he and Cho Hyun had discussed the “situation in West Asia, including its energy implications”, and advancing the bilateral agenda.. Cho Hyun said on social media that they discussed the situation in West Asia, “which is having a major impact on global security and the economy”, and agreed to maintain close communication on measures to ensure the safety of Indian and South Korean nationals as the situation develops.. Cho Hyun hoped high-level exchanges between the two sides this year will elevate bilateral relations to a new level. Jaishankar agreed that the two sides should work together to expand strategic economic cooperation, he said. 

 India has maintained regular supplies of diesel to Bangladesh under an existing contract and Dhaka’s request for additional supplies will be considered while keeping in mind availability and market conditions, people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.. The request from Dhaka has come at a time when both countries are engaged in efforts to repair their relations. (Image sourced from bdnews24 website). The Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) made a request for 5,000 tonnes of diesel to be supplied from Numaligarh refinery in Assam over the weekend to tide over an energy crisis brought on by the Iran-US conflict, which has disrupted energy supply chains.. The people said that the cross-border Friendship Pipeline, operationalised in 2017, has been supplying diesel to Bangladesh on a commercial basis from Numaligarh Refinery Limited.. “This diesel supply is part of regular ongoing energy trade between the two countries,” one of the people said. “Fuel availability in India is being closely monitored.”. Also Read: Top Bangladesh security official visits India for meetings. Bangladesh’s request for additional diesel supplies will be considered in the context of domestic availability and conditions in the global market, the people said. The request from Dhaka has come at a time when both countries are engaged in efforts to repair their relations after a period of intense strains, and New Delhi has traditionally played a crucial role in meeting the energy needs of neighbouring countries.. Bangladesh has closed universities and introduced fuel rationing because of the worsening energy crisis. Public and private universities across the country were shut on Monday, as authorities brought forward the Eid ⁠al-Fitr holidays as part ⁠of emergency measures to conserve fuel. Bangladesh, which relies on imports for 95% of its energy requirements, imposed daily limits on fuel sales after panic buying last week.. The demand for additional diesel stocks, in order to maintain stable fuel reserves and ensure uninterrupted supplies, was raised by Bangladesh’s finance minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury during a meeting with Indian high commissioner Pranay Verma over the weekend. Reports in the Bangladeshi media said Dhaka had sought an additional 50,000 tonnes of diesel over the next four months from India.. This is in addition to an existing agreement for Bangladesh to import 180,000 tonnes of diesel from the Numaligarh refinery by December 2026. 

 IndiGo, India’s largest airline, announced on Tuesday that its chief executive officer (CEO) Pieter Elbers has resigned. Neither Elbers, who was contracted up to 2027, nor IndiGo stated a reason for the move that comes three months after the airline faced massive flight disruptions and Elbers faced direct scrutiny too.. IndiGo co-founder and MD Rahul Bhatia will run the show until a new CEO is found. (File Photo). They thanked each other, and Elbers sought a waiver of notice period in his resignation, though it was not immediately clear how long he would stay on for a handover. But his tenure is cut short by about 18 months with the move; he joined IndiGo in September 2022 for a five-year tenure that was to end in 2027.. The mass cancellations in December 2025 apparently due to pilot shortage — triggered by flight duty time limit (FTDL) norms — left tens of thousands of passengers stranded in India.. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) imposed a fine of ₹22.2 crore, and issued notices directly to Elbers. While he initially survived calls for his resignation, the crisis significantly dented the airline’s reputation for punctuality.. For now, according to the press statement released by Indigo, managing director Rahul Bhatia would manage the company until a replacement is hired.. “Rahul returns to assume management of the affairs of the airline to strengthen the Company’s Culture, reinforce Operational Excellence and deepen its commitment to delivering exceptional service, care, reliability and professionalism to its customers,” said the chairman of the board, Vikram Singh Mehta.. Bhatia told employees in internal mail after Elbers quit, that “what happened last Dec(ember) should never have taken place”.. “Our customers didn’t deserve it. nor did all of (you), esp(ecially) frontline employees who bore most of the brunt for no fault,” he said,. He underlined that he had founded “and nurtured IndiGo for twenty-two years”, and expressed “a deep sense of personal commitment and responsibility towards our nation, and towards the airline’s customers, employees, shareholders and all other stakeholders”.. He signed off with the popular Shah Rukh Khan dialogue “Main hoon na” — ‘I am there’. 

 As concerns grow over the availability of LPG amid disruptions in global fuel supply triggered by the ongoing Iran-US conflict, Hindustan Petroleum has said steps are being taken to ensure that cooking gas remains available for households and key public services.. Several hotel associations across India have reported a shortage of commercial LPG cylinders. (Praful Gangurde / HT Photo). In a statement addressing the situation, the company said, “In light of current geopolitical disruptions affecting global fuel supply, steps have been taken to enhance LPG production and prioritise its availability for domestic consumers and essential non-domestic sectors such as hospitals and educational institutions.”. What hotel associations said. Several hotel associations across India have reported a shortage of commercial LPG cylinders, just days after the prices of both commercial and domestic gas cylinders were increased nationwide. Hotel associations in Bengaluru and Chennai flagged disruptions, warning that restaurants in the respective cities may be forced to halt operations on Tuesday, March 10, if the LPG supply was not restored.. The development comes amid a hike in oil prices globally due to the ongoing conflict between Iran and the US which has triggered unrest across the Middle East. The situation has triggered concerns of a further spike in energy prices, given Iran’s targeting of the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping lane through which a fifth of the world’s oil is transported.. The Chennai Hotels Association and the Bangalore Hotels Association on Monday claimed that commercial LPG supply to restaurants in both cities have taken a massive hit. “Since the gas supply has stopped, the hotels will be closed from tomorrow,” the association in Bengaluru said, as quoted by news agency PTI.. The Chennai hotels body issued a statement seeking Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervention in the matter. “Commercial LPG distributors have completely stopped supplying cylinders, stating that they have no stock available. As a result, many restaurants are forced to shut down,” the body said in a tweet.. What did govt say?. Amid oil price hike concerns and reports of LPG shortage to hotels in India, the government issued a statement on Monday, ordering oil refineries to increase LPG production and use such extra production for domestic use.. “The ministry has prioritised domestic LPG supply to households and introduced 25 day inter- booking period to avoid hoarding/black marketing,” the ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas said in a statement. The ministry also said that a committee has been constituted to review the representations for LPG supply to restaurants.. The prices of LPG cylinders for commercial use was hiked by ₹115 and for domestic use by ₹60 last week.