The US is acting tough on India regarding energy imports from Iran, and New Delhi, despite its efforts to preserve energy independence, may be forced to comply to avoid sanctions from kicking in. The Iran message was delivered most clearly by US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley during her visit to the city.
Nikki Haley, the US Ambassador to the United Nations, has told a news agency that India needs to “rethink its relationship with Iran” and she had a “constructive conversation” with Prime Minister Narendra Modi about cutting Iranian oil imports during their meeting on Wednesday.
In a special address on Thursday afternoon, Haley said, “The world is united against Iran having nuclear weapons because we all have good reason to worry about what Iran would do with those weapons.”
The US push to curb the import of Iranian oil comes after President Donald Trump withdrew from a 2015 deal between Iran and six world powers and ordered re-imposition of sanctions on Tehran in an effort to stall Tehran’s nuclear capabilities. On Tuesday, the US asked nations to cut all imports of Iranian oil from November.
During the Obama years, India had to show a “significant reduction” and demonstrate it was bringing down oil imports at an average rate of 20% every six months. But US President Donald Trump has insisted that this go down to “zero”. That is also why the state department’s briefing to journalists this week on Iran was tougher than the one in early May.
India, the biggest importer of Iranian oil after China, had earlier said it follows UN sanctions, not the restrictions imposed by the US. “The US sees Iran for the threat that it is. The rest of the world joined in agreement,” Ms Haley told a news source. “I think for the future of India, future of resources, we would encourage them to rethink their relationship with Iran”.
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