<h1>Sovereign's lawful oil purchases vs U.S. punitive tariffs raise extraterritorial sanctions, forum non conveniens and unequal treatment claims</h1> A U.S. trade adviser publicly accused a sovereign state of purchasing discounted Russian crude to profiteer and allegedly finance Russia's war effort, prompting a rebuttal that such sovereign, market-driven energy purchases do not violate international law and alleging double standards given U.S. imports of other Russian goods. The row escalated after the U.S. imposed punitive tariffs-including an extra duty linked to purchases of Russian oil-on the state's goods, which the state called unfair and discriminatory. Legal issues include sovereignty over lawful energy procurement, potential extraterritoriality of trade sanctions, forum nonconveniens for dispute resolution, and claims of unequal treatment under international trade norms.