Oil minister Dharmendra Pradhan said late on Monday that India is open to importing oil from Russia.
Concerns about slower economic growth and oil demand due to the fallout from the 16-month trade dispute between the world's two biggest economies have weighed on crude futures
The shift from scarcity to abundance has been brought about in an astonishingly short time by America's "fracking" revolution, leading to massive benefits for consuming countries
The domestic unit on Friday marched higher for the seventh straight session to close at 70.92, up 22 paise.
Brent futures fell 45 cents, or 0.7%, to $61.57 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude fell 85 cents, or 1.5%, to $55.81
Oil prices surged more than two per cent on the news, which raised new supply concerns with tensions still high after last month's attacks on two Saudi crude facilities
Rates for crude and oil products tankers have shot up as traders avoided ships linked to COSCO Shipping Tanker (Dalian) Co, Ltd, after the sanctions were announced
It may be noted that oil prices surged more than 15 per cent to their highest level in nearly four months after an attack on Saudi Arabia's oil facilities
On Tuesday, Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan met Russian oil giant Rosneft's Chief Executive Office Igor Sechin and discussed raising crude imports from that country
Brent crude oil futures fell 36 cents, or 0.6 per cent, to $64.19 a barrel, after tumbling 6.5 per cent the previous session.
Spike in oil prices will translate into a matching or higher increase in fuel prices in domestic market
While paints and adhesive players too will see some margin pressure, upstream companies like ONGC, OIL India and GAIL are seen as beneficiaries
No supply disruption, says Pradhan; OMCs see margin impact if situation persists
The drone attack on Saudi Aramco's Abqaiq oil processing facilities on Saturday almost destroyed the plants
Crude oil traded at Rs 4,265 a barrel on the MCX
West Texas Intermediate jumped 10.68 per cent to $60.71 and Brent climbed 11.77 per cent to $67.31 in early Asia trading
While in the short-term, the direct physical impact on the market might be limited, analysts say the development has the potential to move the market away from its bearish macroeconomic cycle
On Iran, the US hinted that more measures are coming after imposing new sanctions, while deflecting questions about French diplomatic efforts meant to help the Persian Gulf producer restart oil sales
Declining crude oil prices, improving GRMs, and firm marketing margins make them attractive after sharp correction
Firm marketing margins add to their fortunes, making them attractive post a sharp 30% correction from early-June highs