Oil-thirsty Asian nations seek Russian crude as Iran war strains supplies

BANGKOK — Asian nations are increasingly competing for Russian crude oil as an energy crisis mounts amid the month-old war by the U.S. and Israel against Iran, which has choked off roughly a fifth of the world’s oil supply.Much of the oil from the mostly shut Strait of Hormuz was headed for Asia, hit hardest by recent energy shocks. Over the weekend, Iran-backed Houthi rebels entered the conflict, further threatening shipping.To shore up global crude oil supplies, the U.S. has temporarily eased sanctions on Russian oil shipments already at sea — first for India, then for the rest of the …READ FULL ARTICLE