[Goose]

Oy: U.S. lifts sanctions on Russian oil.

Obviously this is indeed "bad" for Ukraine in the short term. The real question IMO is will the sanctions actually be re-imposed when the Iran situation is "resolved" and the Straits are open again. It would in no way surprise me if they are not. Of course it is also quite unclear how long the closure will last. It could  be quite prolonged if Iran wants it to be. https://time.com/article/2026/03/11/-it-...s-furious/ indicates the administration has no plan to re-open the Straits of Hormuz. It appears the assumption is that will somehow just happen on its own.
 
I wouldn't bet on that. Iran has demonstrated that it can hold the world hostage there, and they won't give up that leverage without a major quid-pro-quo. Of course, the US could force the Straits, but to do that would undoubtedly involve boots on the ground to occupy strategic locations on the coast of Iran. Without that, it would be impossible to stop Iran from attacking commercial shipping with cheap drones. It isn't a good idea at all to ad-lib such an operation. Inserting major naval combatants into the Gulf is a big strategic risk. It can be done, we have done it before. It is however not a task for amateurs.

[Goose]

Oy: U.S. lifts sanctions on Russian oil.

Obviously this is indeed "bad" for Ukraine in the short term. The real question IMO is will the sanctions actually be re-imposed when the Iran situation is "resolved" and the Straits are open again. It would in no way surprise me if they are not. Of course it is also quite unclear how long the closure will last. It could  be quite prolonged if Iran wants it to be. https://time.com/article/2026/03/11/-it-...s-furious/ indicates the administration has no plan to re-open the Straits of Hormuz. It appears the assumption is that will somehow just happen on its own.
 
I wouldn't bet on that. Iran has demonstrated that it can hold the world hostage there, and they won't give up that leverage without a major quid-pro-quo. Of course, the US could force the Straits, but to do that would undoubtedly involve boots on the ground to occupy strategic locations on the coast of Iran. Without that, it would be impossible to stop Iran from attacking commercial shipping with cheap drones. It isn't a good idea at all to ad-lib such an operation. Inserting major naval combatants into the Gulf is a big strategic risk. It can be done, we have done it before. It is however not a task for amateurs.