New Delhi: Days after the United States asked countries, including India to cut down on oil imports from Iran, the Ministry of External Affairs said that there were no confirmed dates on talks between the two countries on the issue.
After US President Donald Trump announced the sanctions and pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal in May, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had said that India followed only UN sanctions and not unilateral sanctions by any country.
While both countries are expected to work out an arrangement, the MEA has said that there are no firm dates for the two nations to sit and talk.
The United States has also postponed the maiden 2+2 dialogue that was to be held late last month. This was the second time that the US has postponed the inaugural two-day dialogue, which was announced last summer when Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a successful meeting with President Trump at the White House.
Given the huge energy needs, India and China are major importers of Iranian oil with India being the second largest buyer of Iran’s crude oil and Beijing being the third.
Iran is also India's third largest oil supplier. In a diktat issued last month, US told India and other countries to cut oil imports from Iran to “zero” by November 4 or face sanctions.
The Trump-led administration made it clear that there would be “no waivers” for anybody. US Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, on a recent visit to India met PM Narendra Modi and reiterated that it was important for India to cut its dependence on Iranian oil.
India’s stand has always been that the only sanctions it will adhere to will have to come from the United Nations.
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