SPECIAL

Washington, March 9 (IANS) Indian refineries processing Russian crude was a "pragmatic decision" taken to stabilise global energy markets and speed up supplies in Asia, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said. Speaking on Fox News on Sunday (local time), Wright said the policy does not represent any shift in Washington's sanctions stance toward Moscow but reflects the realities of oil supply chains in Asia amid geopolitical disruption."Russia's oil remains sanctioned. There's no change in policy towards Russia," Wright asserted.He explained that large volumes of Russian crude were currently stranded in Asian waters as supply routes adjusted to sanctions and market shifts."But there's just a lot of tankers stacked up," Wright said. "China doesn't treat its discount gas station suppliers very ...

Washington, March 9 (IANS) Former US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said that the Trump administration’s war with Iran risks drifting without a clear strategic objective, even as American military operations demonstrate significant tactical success.Speaking on CNN’s Fareed Zakaria GPS, Sullivan said the US military’s operational performance had been “remarkable” but questioned the clarity of the war’s ultimate goals.“On the encouraging side, the US military is just simply remarkable,” Sullivan said. “It's remarkable at being able to achieve tactical objectives, to execute operations with skill, professionalism, and courage.”But he cautioned that the strategic purpose of the war remains unclear.“The discouraging part is we are asking the US military to put itself in harm's way, and...