US tells India, China to stop importing Iran oil
: The US has told India and other countries to cut oil imports from Iran to “zero” by November 4 or face sanctions, making it clear that there would be no waivers to anyone.
Iran is India’s third-largest oil supplier behind Iraq and Saudi Arabia. The country supplied 18.4 million tonnes of crude oil during April 2017 and January 2018 (first 10 months of 2017-18 fiscal).
Last month President Donald Trump withdrew his nation from the landmark Iran nuclear deal, re-imposing US sanctions that had been suspended in return for curbs on Tehran’s nuclear programme.
At the time, the Trump administration gave foreign companies either 90 or 180 days to wind down their business with Iranian counterparts, depending on the type of commercial activity.
Now, Washington is stepping up pressure on all countries, including India and China, to completely stop buying oil from
WASHINGTON
Iran.
“On China and India, yes, certainly,” a State Department official told reporters when asked if the US has told all countries, including India and China, to stop all their imports of Iranian oil by November 4.
The US official said Indian and Chinese companies would be subject to the same sanctions as those in other countries.
Given the huge energy needs, India and China are major importers of Iranian oil.
“Their (India and China) companies will be subject to the same sanctions that everybody else’s are if they engage in those sectors of the economy that are sanctionable, where there were sanctions imposed prior to 2015. “We will certainly be requesting that their oil imports go to zero,” the State Department official said.