The global energy scene is currently a tinderbox. With the war in Iran raging and the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed, Brent crude has been on a wild ride, recently breaching the $119 mark before settling into a high-voltage holding pattern.
In the middle of this stands US President Donald Trump, who has dismissed the price spike as a “very small price to pay” for “World Safety and Peace.” While the White House characterises the military action as a “short-term excursion” to neutralise threats, the economic ripple effects are anything but small.
As the world watches, Robert Kiyosaki, the author of Rich Dad Poor Dad, has shared his view on which countries are actually benefiting from the current situation. In a recent post, he named Russia, the United States, and India as the biggest winners and explained the reasons behind his choices.
Russia: Profiting without fighting
Kiyosaki starts with Russia, which is seeing a sudden boost in oil revenue. Before the war, Russian Urals crude was selling at a deep discount because of international sanctions. Now, demand has surged, and Russia is reportedly selling its oil at a premium, turning a $10 discount into a $5 gain above the global benchmark almost overnight.
“US sanctions had crushed Russia’s revenues. Oil and gas income had fallen to its lowest levels since 2020. Today? Russia is selling at a $4 to $5 premium above benchmark. That’s a swing of nearly $18 per barrel. Almost overnight,” Kiyosaki wrote in a social media post. “The Gulf is shut. The world cannot function without oil. And Russia has pipelines that bypass the Strait of Hormuz entirely. Russia didn’t fire a single missile in this war. It didn’t need to,” he added.
By simply having the right infrastructure and timing, Russia has turned the crisis into a massive financial win without directly fighting in the conflict.
India: Playing chess while others play checkers
Kiyosaki finds India the most interesting. As the world’s third-largest oil importer, India buys over 80% of its crude. Every $10 increase in oil prices adds $13–14 billion to its import bill. But India is using the crisis smartly. Kiyosaki says, “India is playing chess while others play checkers. India has 74 days of oil reserves… It is buying deeply discounted Russian crude—the US just granted India a 30-day sanctions waiver specifically to purchase Russian oil sitting stranded at sea.”
The plan, Kiyosaki finds, is quite simple. “Sell refined products into a world that is desperate for fuel at $114 oil. India is one of the world’s largest exporters of refined petroleum products. That margin, between cheap Russian crude and expensive refined products, is extraordinary right now.”
This strategy has transformed India from a vulnerable importer into one of the largest exporters of refined petroleum products in the world. The profit comes from the gap between cheap crude and expensive refined fuel.
The diplomatic advantage
Kiyosaki also stressed India’s unique diplomatic edge. At a time when global tensions run high, India has maintained ties with the US, Russia, Israel, and Iran simultaneously. “All sides are using India as a backchannel. That is leverage most nations would give anything for,” he wrote.
“So yes — India is navigating a razor’s edge between opportunity and enormous exposure. But it is navigating it better than almost anyone else,” he said.
United States: A win with a catch
The US story, according to Kiyosaki, is more complicated. On one hand, shale oil producers and LNG exporters are enjoying record profits. On the other hand, American families are paying more than $4 a gallon at the pump, making the “small price to pay” feel enormous.
Kiyosaki explains, “American energy companies? Winning. American consumers? Paying over $4 a gallon… The US is simultaneously a winner and a loser, depending on which American you’re talking about.”
“The oil executives are celebrating,” he wrote, adding, “The family filling up their tank to get to work is not.”
Kiyosaki concludes, “In every major conflict in history, the countries that profit most are rarely the ones doing the fighting… Wars don’t just create losers. They create winners.”