U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis will hold
high-level talks with India’s Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj and Defence
Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on September 6, in what is known as a 2+2 dialogue.
"Definitely we are not going to zero” (purchases), said the official, who has
direct knowledge of India’s oil purchase policy and did not wish to be
identified.
When asked if more clarity on India’s Iranian oil purchases would emerge after
the dialogue, the official said "yes, that is the highest level of meeting we
will have with the U.S.”
The United States is pushing all countries to halt oil imports from Iran after
President Donald Trump withdrew from a 2015 deal between Iran and six world
powers and ordered a re-imposition of sanctions on Tehran.
India, Iran’s top oil buyer after China, has so far not decided on the size of
any cut to Iranian imports and continues to seek a waiver from the United
States.
Trump has threatened that anyone trading with Iran will not do business with
America.
U.S. sanctions on Iran’s energy sector are set to be re-imposed after a 180-day
"wind-down period” ending on November 4.
Several countries that were involved in the 2015 nuclear deal had attempted to
lessen the blow of fresh sanctions on Iran, and urged their firms not to pull
out.
During the previous round of sanctions, India was one of the few countries that
continued to buy Iranian oil, although it had to reduce imports as shipping,
insurance and banking channels were choked off due to the European and U.S.
sanctions.
Source: TehranTimes