‘US reviewing India’s decision to import Iran oil, buy S-400 from Russia’

TIL Desk/World/Washington/ The United States is reviewing ‘very carefully’ India’s decision to continue buying Iranian oil and purchase of the Russian S-400 air defence system, a top official has said, terming it ‘not helpful’, days after President Donald Trump observed that New Delhi would soon find out if it faced punitive measures.

The US is trying to cut off all oil imports from Iran to zero by November 4 following Trump’s decision in May to pull out of the 2015 multilateral deal that eased global sanctions in exchange for curbs on Iran’s suspected nuclear programmes and malign activities.

Responding to questions on reports that India will continue to purchase oil from Iran after November 4, State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said this was ‘not helpful’. India’s Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Monday said that two state refiners have placed orders for importing crude oil from Iran in November.

“Overall with regard to those sanctions that will take effect on November 4th – and you’re referring to the oil sanctions for Iran and countries that choose to continue purchasing oil from Iran – we have conversations with many partners and allies around the world about those sanctions,” Nauert said on Thursday.