Treasury Secretary Scott Besant signaled the approach of tougher sanctions on Wednesday, saying the United States would not extend a temporary waiver that already allows the sale of Russian oil and Iranian oil at sea.“We will not renew the general license on Russian oil,” Besant said at a press conference. Clarifying the scope of the earlier relief, he said: “That was oil that was on the water before March 11, so that’s all been used.”The decision comes a day after the Treasury Department indicated it would not renew similar waivers on Iranian oil, reinforcing Washington’s “maximum pressure” approach amid the ongoing US-Iran conflict. The earlier waivers were offered to ease global supply disruptions caused by the war and Iran’s move to effectively close the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global energy shipments.The waiver had allowed India to continue purchasing Russian oil, especially as disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz left many ships stuck at sea.Oil prices have soared since the conflict escalated, causing fuel prices to rise around the world, including in the United States. The temporary waivers were designed as short-term stabilization measures, allowing limited transactions involving oil already loaded on ships before a specified deadline.In March, the US issued a 30-day license to allow the delivery and sale of Russian crude oil loaded before March 12, with the exemption expiring on April 11. A similar waiver for Iranian oil, covering shipments loaded before March 20, is set to expire on April 19 and will also not be extended.Explaining the rationale behind the move, Besant had earlier said: “To continue the flow of oil into the global market, the Treasury Department is issuing a temporary waiver of 30 days to allow Indian refiners to purchase Russian oil. This deliberately short-term measure will not yield significant financial benefits to the Russian government as it only authorizes transactions involving oil already stranded at sea.“The waivers had allowed countries like India to secure additional supplies, with reports suggesting that Indian refiners had ordered about 30 million barrels of Russian oil during the period. Major refiners had earlier reduced purchases from Russian companies such as Rosneft and Lukoil following the sanctions.Despite its stated purpose, the waiver was sharply criticized by opposition Democrats in the US. Senator Richard Blumenthal said: “There is no way Russia sanctions relief should be extended. Trump’s waivers have given Russia an additional $150 billion per day to fuel its murderous war machine of murder and kidnapping of Ukrainian children – while it assists Iran with intelligence to target our troops.”Other Democratic leaders, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, also opposed the policy, calling it “dangerous” and urging the administration to reverse course.“In addition to violating notification requirements to Congress under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act before relaxing sanctions on the Kremlin, Secretary Besant described the license as a temporary and ‘short-term’ measure that will not provide significant financial benefits to the Russian government,” the senators said in a joint statement.“But Russia’s decision to cancel its planned budget cuts shows that, as we warned, Russia is directly benefiting from the administration’s sanctions relief. It is up to the Trump administration to reverse this dangerous policy, ensure Russia receives no additional benefits, and prevent the United States from further fueling Putin’s war machine,” he said.