India today made it clear that the US pressure to reduce oil imports from Iran will not impact its “legitimate” trade ties with the “key country” for meeting its energy needs.
External Affairs Minister S M Krishna, after talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi, said while India
abided by the UNSC resolutions on Iran, unilateral or regional sanctions tend to impact on the market in a globalised world.
“As far as other sanctions, those decided either unilaterally or regionally, we are aware of such measures. In
a globalised world, such actions tend to impact on the market and our commercial entities take these into account. Such measures should not impact legitimate trade interests,” he told reporters here with Salehi by his side.
The US, which has clamped economic sanctions on Iran in a bid to pressure it to roll back its controversial nuclear
programme, has been urging India to cut its oil imports from the Persian Gulf country. Iran insists its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes and it is not pursuing a weapons agenda.
“As far as the question of sanctions is concerned, let me say that the United Nations Security Council in its wisdom has passed resolutions on the issue and India has always abided by such resolutions of the Security Council as a responsible member of the international community,” Krishna said.
Salehi said Iran has been a reliable partner for India on matters of energy security and will continue to be so.
“Iran I would like to stress here, is a reliable partner of India. It is a reliable source of energy for India. India is an emerging economic power and its energy demand is ever-increasing. And they should look for resources that are reliable and Iran is a reliable source for that matter,” he said.
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