The spiralling war in the Middle East caused by US-Israeli strikes on Iran has led to a “significant increase in demand” for Russian energy products, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday, March 6.
“We are seeing a significant increase in demand for Russian energy due to the war in Iran. Russia has been and remains a reliable supplier of both oil and gas – both pipeline gas and liquefied natural gas,” Peskov told reporters.
He added that Moscow remained capable of guaranteeing the continuity of all contracted energy supplies.
Peskov’s comments came after the United States granted India a temporary waiver allowing it to purchase Russian oil currently stranded at sea as the conflict in the Middle East continues to disrupt global energy markets.
The spike in demand comes amid a sharp escalation in the Middle East after the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran on Feb. 28, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several senior military officials.
Tehran retaliated with missile and drone attacks targeting Israel as well as several Gulf countries hosting US military bases, triggering a wider regional crisis and disrupting global energy markets.
The US Treasury Department said the 30-day waiver was intended as a short-term measure. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the step was “deliberately short-term” and would not provide significant financial benefits to Russia.
Before the conflict with Iran, Washington had criticized India for continuing to buy Russian oil, arguing that such purchases help finance Moscow’s war against Ukraine.
Peskov said major buyers such as India and China were acting in their own national interests.
“We do the same,” he said. “We continue our cooperation, including in energy and energy trade, with both India and China.”
Iran is one of the world’s major oil producers and a key player in energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz, a route used for roughly a third of global seaborne oil trade.
The escalation has raised fears of supply disruptions and pushed some buyers to seek alternative suppliers, including Russia, whose oil exports have been subject to Western sanctions since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.