Subrahmanyam Jaishankar

India says Its relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran are not influenced by any third party, as the US puts more pressure on those countries purchasing Iranian crude oil.

Iran Press/Asia: Talking to reporters on Wednesday, asked whether the US government had pushed India to cut business ties with Iran, India’s External Affairs Minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said that Iran-India relations would never be affected by a 'third country', Iran Press reported.

During six-month-long exemptions from US sanctions, India purchased Iranian oil as usual but the waiver ended in May, and India said it will deal with the issue based on three factors: the country's energy security, commercial considerations, and economic interests. 

Iran's ambassador to India Ali Chegeni on Tuesday stressed that his country can provide 'affordability, accessibility and energy security' to India. 

The Iranian envoy also alluded to the possibility of using barter, rupee and European mechanisms for trade in oil with India and other countries to circumvent US sanctions. 

The remarks came days after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo assured New Delhi that America is 'doing everything' to ensure India has crude oil imports in the wake of the situation arising out of sanctions on importing oil from Iran. 

After leaving the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the United States has launched a comprehensive campaign to exert pressure on Iran.

The US president Donald Trump, threatened foreign countries and companies with tough sanctions if they cooperated with Iran, a move which led to widespread domestic and international condemnation.

Many countries, including India, China, Iraq, Russia, and Turkey, have declared that they will not accept unilateral US sanctions against Iran and will continue to engage in business relations with the country.   203/211/208

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