Energy | Certain Risk

Kaja Kallas High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission with Spain's Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation Jose Manuel Albares attend a Ministerial Meeting on European Security and Ukraine in Madrid, on March 31, 2025. OSCAR DEL POZO / EUROPEAN COMMISSION — “Oscar del Pozo / European Union, Kaja Kallas speaking at a Ministerial Meeting on European Security and Ukraine (31 March 2025), via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 4.0.”

Explainer: What’s in the EU’s 20th Russia Sanctions Package?

The European Union on Thursday formally adopted its much delayed 20th package of restrictive measures against Russia and the bloc’s biggest package of designations in two years. Here’s what’s in it.

Oil vessel during filling with oil products. Rosneft oil company

U.S. Extends Lapsed Sanctions Waiver on Russian Oil Sales

The Trump administration has extended for about a month a sanctions exemption covering some Russian oil already at sea, reversing course just two days after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the United States would not renew the waiver.

The Strait of Hormuz is an oil transportation route that is currently facing a crisis. 3D rendering of the Strait of Hormuz. Satellite view. Elements of this image furnished by NASA.

EU to Impose Sanctions on Entities Blocking the Strait of Hormuz

The European Union will widen the criteria for its Iran sanctions regime to include people and entities responsible for obstructing freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

LONDON- APRIL, 2018: National Crime Agency - UK government non- ministerial office in Westminster

NCA Charges British Shipping Financier over Alleged Sanctions Violations

Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA) has charged shipping financier John Michael Ormerod with alleged money laundering and breaches of Russia sanctions.

A photograph of Mojtaba Khamenei, Supreme Leader of Iran, as purportedly seen on 10 April 2026 — Image: “Ayatollah Sayyid Mojtaba Khamenei, 10 April 2026,” cropped from the original. Source: Wikimedia Commons; original source Khamenei.ir. License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).

Trump Administration Levies ‘Economic Fury’ Sanctions on Iran

The U.S. Treasury imposed a fresh round of Iran-related sanctions on Wednesday, targeting what it described as the illicit oil-shipping empire of Iranian magnate Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani and a Hezbollah-linked oil-for-gold laundering network tied to Venezuela.

U.S. Eases Venezuela Bank Sanctions, Will Let Iran Oil Waiver Expire

The Trump administration eased sanctions on Venezuela’s state-run financial system on Tuesday in a move aimed at supporting the country’s battered economy, reviving oil-sector activity, and stabilizing the government of acting President Delcy Rodriguez.

Sakhalin, Russia - February 14, 2009: Workers connect a new branch of the oil pipeline. Photo: Grigory Ivannikov

Trump Administration Allows Russia Sanctions Waiver to Expire

The Trump administration has allowed a temporary sanctions waiver on Russian oil to expire, ending a short-lived reprieve that had permitted the sale of some blacklisted Russian crude and pulling back from a policy that was intended to help contain surging global oil prices.

Portrait of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini against Mao Zedong. Iranian rial and Chinese yuan. Business concept of the exchange rate, stock exchange, trading

How Iran Transformed Its Economy with Barter Deals and China’s Help

Iran has built a more complex trade system under years of Western sanctions, relying increasingly on China, barter arrangements, and covert financing channels that help it keep goods moving even as formal restrictions target its oil exports, banking access, and foreign trade.

A photo of the exterior of the Pertamina headquarters in Jakarta, Indonesia — Adapted from “Pertamina,” by musnahterinjak, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0).

Indonesia Names ‘Gas Godfather’ in Pertamina Corruption Probe

Indonesian authorities have named former commodities trader Mohammad Riza Chalid as a suspect in a second corruption investigation tied to crude oil and fuel procurement, broadening a probe that is renewing scrutiny of longstanding practices in the country’s energy market.

Oil Field. Winter industrial landscape with an oil pump and torch in the background.

White House Expected to Extend Russia Oil Sanctions Waiver

The Trump administration is expected to extend its waiver of sanctions on Russian oil this week, according to former Treasury and State Department officials cited by Semafor, a step that could tee up a similar extension for Iranian oil later this month as the White House weighs fuel prices and broader market stability.