The Essar Group, an Indian conglomerate with significant ties to Russia, is set to build a $15 billion steel megaplant in Iowa, announced by Donald Trump. The project, expected to be the largest in the US, comes as Essar's former oil refinery (now Nayara Energy) is half-owned by sanctioned Russian gas major Rosneft and has supplied petroleum products to Russia amid the Ukraine war. Nayara Energy itself is under EU sanctions. The White House touts the project as an economic win, but critics highlight how it underscores the US's struggle to economically isolate Moscow, especially days after Trump signed a law empowering tariffs on countries buying Russian oil. The plant is expected to create 1,750 permanent jobs and 6,000 construction jobs, with first steel production in 2030 and an estimated $95 billion economic impact over its first decade.