DECISION ON OIL PURCHASE AFTER LOK SABHA POLLS, INDIA TELLS IRAN

NEWDELHI: External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj informed her Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif on Tuesday that a decision on purchasing Iranian oil in the face of US sanctions will be made after the conclusion of India’s general election, people familiar with developments said.

Iranian oil exports and Tehran’s approach to recent developments in the region, including tensions between Iran and the US over the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), or the Iranian nuclear deal, figured in the discussions between Zarif and Swaraj.

Zarif arrived in New Delhi late on Monday for a previously unscheduled visit to lobby for India’s support against the backdrop of the Iran-us tensions.

When Zarif raised the purchase of oil from Iran, Swaraj reiterated India’s position that a decision will be made after the general elections while keeping in mind the country’s “commercial considerations, energy security and economic interests”, the people said. ››P12

SWARAJ AND ZARIF ALSO DISCUSSED AFGHANISTAN AND AGREED TO ‘MAINTAIN CLOSE COORDINATION ON THE EVOLVING SITUATION’