<h1>U.S. imposes 50% tariffs on Asian refiners accused of laundering Russian oil funds, drawing congressional and foreign pushback</h1> A senior U.S. trade adviser publicly accused a major Asian democracy of acting as an 'oil money laundromat' for Russia, asserting its refiners buy discounted Russian crude, export refined fuel, and thereby fund the Russian war effort; he framed newly imposed 50% U.S. tariffs (25% for unfair trade, 25% for national security) as a direct response to these practices and high host-country tariffs on U.S. goods. The administration's move drew criticism from a congressional committee for targeting that country while larger buyers remain untaxed. The affected government called the tariffs unjustified and said it would protect its national and economic security.