New US Sanctions law gives Trump 'additional options' on Russian, Iranian oil: US State Department

New York: The newly enacted US sanctions legislation concerning Russian and Iranian oil has given United States President Donald Trump "additional options" to deal with the conflict as peace remains a key "priority" for the US, but Washington currently has no details on its potential impact on India-US relations, US State Department Hindi and Urdu spokesperson Bilal Faruqi said.

Speaking to ANI, Faruqi said the legislation had only recently been passed by Congress and signed by President Trump, adding that the US administration would assess how and whether to use the additional options available to the President.

"There are not many details available about this new law. Congress has passed a new law, which is being referred to as the sanctions bill or the Graham Sanctions Bill. It concerns Russian and Iranian oil, and President Trump has just signed the legislation," Faruqi said.


He said Trump had stated that the legislation gives him "more options", but that the President would decide whether and how those options should be used.

On the possible impact of the legislation on India-US ties, particularly as India imports Russian oil, Faruqi said there were no details available at present.

"As I said, there are no details available at this point. The legislation has only just been passed. As President Trump said, he now has additional options," he said.

Faruqi, meanwhile, reiterated that ending the Russia-Ukraine conflict remains a key priority for the Trump administration.

He said the US remains prepared for negotiations and that American Special Envoys have engaged with both Russia and Ukraine, but added that the leaders of the two countries would ultimately have to decide the terms of any agreement.

On the India-US interim trade agreement, Faruqi said Washington had no new update at present but expressed hope that a "fair trade agreement" could be reached.

"At this point, we do not have any new information regarding the interim trade agreement. We hope that a fair trade agreement can be reached, but there is no new information at the moment," he said.

Faruqi also underlined the strength of India-US relations, saying the two countries have "very strong ties" and that those relations continue to remain strong.

For further details on the interim trade agreement, he referred to US Trade Representative (USTR) officials.