US May Eye Eased Sanctions On Russian Oil Amid Iran War -- Ex-Envoy

TOKYO, March 13 (Bernama-Kyodo) -- The United States may be considering relaxing sanctions on Russian crude oil exports -- imposed over its war against Ukraine -- to soften the impact of the West Asia conflict, Kyodo News reported, citing a former US special presidential envoy for Ukraine.

Keith Kellogg, who held the post under US President Donald Trump until December, said in an interview with Kyodo News in Tokyo on Wednesday that Trump is "not doing that because of Russia" but "because of Japan and the rest of the world."

Japan depends on the Middle East for over 90 per cent of its crude oil imports, making it vulnerable to the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which has halted oil and gas transportation from regional suppliers since U.S. and Israeli forces launched attacks on Iran late last month.

Since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the United States and its Group of Seven partners have introduced sanctions on Russia, including banning Russian oil imports and setting price caps on Russian oil to prevent Moscow from using oil revenue to fund its military operations.

Media reports have also indicated that Iran has begun laying mines in the strait, one of the world's most important energy chokepoints through which a fifth of global oil supply passes.

As for the likelihood that Washington would seek Japan's Self-Defence Forces, known for their advanced minesweeping capability, to support future demining operations in the strait, Kellogg said that Trump "could ask that, but I don't think he will," since the U.S. military "can handle that pretty well" on its own.

The focus for the United States now is "on Iran, and Ukraine is put over to the side," Kellogg, who also served as a senior national security adviser to Trump during his first four-year term from 2017, said, adding, "We'll deal with that later."

-- BERNAMA-KYODO