After imposing 25% “penalty” tariffs on India for importing Russian crude — which were lifted last month — the U.S. on Thursday granted a 30-day exemption to New Delhi for acquiring crude from Moscow amid the upheaval in the Iran war affecting global supplies.

The West Texas Intermediate oil jumped 8.51%, or $6.35, to end at $81.01 per barrel on Thursday, marking the largest single-day increase since May 2020. The global standard Brent rose 4.93%, or $4.01, to close at $85.41 per barrel.

The exemption for purchasing Russian oil will alleviate global supply concerns as India ranks as the fourth largest refiner in the world and the fifth largest exporter of petroleum products. Brent and WTI crude experienced over 1% declines on Friday, last trading at $84.42 and $79.92 per barrel, respectively.

New Delhi, being the world’s third largest oil importer, had been substituting Russian oil supplies with those from the Middle East, experts indicated, but as the conflict disrupted energy supplies from Gulf countries, it is beginning to source energy from Moscow once again.

“I have heard that Indian refiners have actively been pursuing immediate Russian crude supplies since last weekend,” stated Muyu Xu, senior research analyst for crude at energy data tracker Kpler, adding that per “market chatter,” New Delhi may have acquired up to 6-8 million barrels of Russian oil in the last 2–3 days.

This “temporary solution will not yield significant financial advantages” for Russia as it solely permits transactions of oil currently stranded on vessels, according to U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, Scott Bessant in a post on X.

The U.S. administration is taking measures to mitigate rising oil prices, including offering political risk insurance for tankers navigating the Gulf. U.S. crude prices have surged nearly 20% this week due to the intensifying conflict in the Middle East.

“Further actions to ease oil pressures are forthcoming and … in the long run, our initiatives will significantly enhance the stability of the region and oil pricing,” U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday.

“It [the exemption] acts as a pressure relief valve, considering the loss of close to 20 million barrels per day of crude from Gulf producers,” remarked Vandana Hari, CEO of the energy research firm Vanda Insights, adding that the 30-day exemption was “far from adequate” and Washington continues to apply “band aids on a gunshot wound.”

Hari anticipates Brent crude to persist in “creeping higher than the $80s” as she believes the prospect of the Hormuz blockade being quickly lifted is “exceptionally slim.” Traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, which facilitates 20% of global oil flow, remains halted due to Iranian warnings and soaring insurance costs for shipping.

“Our data indicates that no loaded crude tankers have traversed the Strait of Hormuz since last weekend, including those potentially destined for India,” Xu said.

India presently possesses “access to approximately 100 million barrels,” sufficient to meet up to 45 days of crude demand, Prateek Pandey, head of APAC oil and gas research at energy intelligence firm Rystad Energy, communicated to CNBC’s “Inside India” on Thursday.

Pandey noted that Indian refineries won’t face challenges for the next three to four weeks, but “there will be worries,” if disruptions in the Middle East persist beyond that.

Last August, India faced a 50% tariff from the U.S., including 25% as a punishment for buying Russian oil. Last month, this penalty was lifted contingent upon India reducing imports from Moscow and increasing American energy purchases. Washington cautioned it could reinstate the tariff if India resumes purchasing Russian oil.

“I have yet to observe any uptick in U.S. crude shipments to India,” said Xu, adding that any increase in New Delhi’s buying of American oil following the trade agreement will only reflect in data for April or May.

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei acknowledged that the U.S. government classified his company as a supply chain risk on Thursday and stated it has “no option” but to contest the classification legally.

The startup has had disagreements with the Department of Defense regarding the permissible applications of its artificial intelligence models, recognized as Claude, and was informed late last week, through social media updates, that it faced a ban from government contracts.

Anthropic requested confirmation that its technology would not be utilized for fully autonomous weapons or comprehensive domestic surveillance, however, the DOD wanted Anthropic to allow unrestricted access to Claude for all legal uses.

“As we mentioned last Friday, we do not believe, and have never believed, it is the role of Anthropic or any private entity to participate in operational decision-making—that responsibility lies with the military,” Amodei stated. “Our primary concerns have been our objections to fully autonomous weapons and extensive domestic surveillance, which pertain to critical usage areas, not operational decision-making.”

Anthropic is the sole American firm ever publicly identified as a supply chain risk, and this official classification will compel defense contractors to verify they do not incorporate the company’s models in their dealings with the Pentagon. This designation has generally been reserved for entities associated with foreign adversaries, such as the Chinese tech firm Huawei.

Questions linger regarding whether defense contractors can use Anthropic’s technology for endeavors outside their military engagements. Amodei noted in his statement that the classification “does not (and cannot) restrict the use of Claude or business engagements with Anthropic if those are unrelated to their specific Department of War contracts.”

Microsoft, which revealed intentions to invest up to $5 billion in Anthropic in November, expressed in a statement that its attorneys “examined the classification” and concluded that Anthropic’s products can remain accessible to clients aside from the DOD.

Anthropic entered into a $200 million agreement with the DOD in July, becoming the first AI laboratory to integrate its models into mission workflows on classified networks. However, as negotiations between both parties stalled, competitors OpenAI and Elon Musk’s xAI also reached agreements to deploy their models for classified uses.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman disclosed his company’s arrangement with the DOD just hours after Anthropic was blacklisted on Friday. He stated in a message on X that the agency showed a “strong commitment to safety and a desire to collaborate for the best possible outcome.”

Anthropic’s engagement with the Trump administration has become increasingly strained in recent months, and Amodei expressed regret for a sensitive internal memo that was leaked to the media on Wednesday.

Amodei reportedly informed staff that the administration disapproves of Anthropic because it has not made donations or given “dictator-style accolades to Trump,” according to a report from The Information.

He clarified that the memo was drafted on Friday following a “challenging day for the company” and does not represent his “thoughtful or measured views.” Amodei mentioned that it is an “outdated assessment of the current status.”

“Anthropic did not divulge this post nor direct anyone else to do so—it is not in our interest to escalate this matter,” Amodei asserted.

WATCH: Sec. Pete Hegseth instructs Pentagon to label Anthropic as a supply-chain risk to national security