India To Take A Call On Iranian Oil Imports After Lok Sabha Elections: EAM Sushma Swaraj Tells Iran’s FM

India on Tuesday (14 May) said that it will take a call on Iranian oil purchase after ongoing polls and that the decision will be based on country’s commercial considerations,energy security and economic interests, reports Times of India.

Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj conveyed Delhi’s message to her Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif who is visiting India to convince the government to continue the oil purchase after the United States ended the six-month exemption period from sanctions to buy oil from Iran on 2 May.

Amidst the ever raising tensions with the US, Iran is seeking to revive its Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and a review of the bilateral ties. This is part of its recent outreach to China, Russia, Turkmenistan and Iraq for the last few days.

India, the world’s third-largest oil consumer, meets more than 80 per cent of her requirements through imports and Iran is India’s third largest supplier after Iraq and Saudi Arabia.

In the face of sanctions, Washington told India and other countries to cut down the Iranian oil imports to zero after November or face penalties. A six-month waiver was granted to India among eight other countries in the same regard.