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Smita Sharma
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, October 12
With the November 6 deadline looming for US sanctions to kick off against oil trade with Iran, hectic consultations are underway between Indian and American officials, as well as countries opposed to the US position.
US Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook and Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources Francis F Fannon today held meetings with oil and foreign ministry counterparts in Delhi.
The US officials will head to Europe tomorrow for further discussions in Luxemborg, France and Belgium and raise concerns about Iranian regime’s alleged “continued missile proliferation”.
China and India are major crude oil importers from Iran. Iran is the third largest supplier of oil for India after Iraq and Saudi Arabia. President Donald Trump, who pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal, has asked countries to reduce oil imports from Tehran to zero or else face sanctions.
Meanwhile, India, it is learnt, is engaged in high level discussions with the European Union to seek alternative payments option for oil trade with Tehran even as a private Iranian bank is likely to set up shop in Mumbai to circumvent the US sanctions.
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