US, India in 'Very Detailed' Talks about Iran Oil Imports: Official
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The United States and India are engaged in “very detailed conversations” over Washington’s request to completely stop India’s oil imports from Iran, a senior US State Department official told reporters.
“We’re asking all of our partners, not just India, to reduce to zero oil imports from Iran and so I’m confident that will be part of our conversation with India,” the official said ahead of high-level talks between the foreign and defense heads of India and the United States on Thursday, Reuters reported
“There are very detailed conversations taking place between the US and India on just the technical issues related to going to zero and those conversations will continue.”
India will likely tell the US that it won’t be able to cut oil imports from Iran after sanctions take effect early November and hopes to “sensitize’’ Washington to the issues faced by the country in this regard, while making it clear that no nation can dictate how its external policy can be run, Indian media reported.
India’s refineries are heavily dependent on supplies from overseas, including Iran, and giving up this cheaper option will be tough when retail prices of fuels are at an all-time high in the country, according to people familiar with the plan. “We want to make the point that India is heavily reliant on oil imports for its consumption needs and 83% of its oil comes from external sources,” an official said.
