New Delhi:
Ways to resume the supply of crude oil to India are being considered by Iran. It is keen to expand overall business including petrochemicals through Chabahar port. A senior Iranian official said this on Thursday. Speaking to reporters here, an Iranian official said the behavior towards Iran in the upcoming Donald Trump administration is unlikely to be the same as in the first term as there have been significant changes in global geopolitics with China increasing its strategic power.

During his last term as US President, Trump had imposed many sanctions on Iran. Along with increasing surveillance on Iran’s economy, America was also withdrawn from the 2015 nuclear deal.

India stopped purchasing crude oil from Iran in 2019

Advocating resumption of supplies of Iranian crude oil to India, the official said both sides need to find a way out. After the imposition of US sanctions, India stopped purchasing crude oil from Iran in mid-2019.

“It is important to pay attention to this issue,” the Iranian official said on condition of anonymity. On India continuing to buy crude oil from Russia despite Western sanctions, he said, ‘The circumstances of sanctions against Russia and Iran are different. We have to see how this issue can be resolved. We do not want any difficulty for India.

Along with this he indicated that this matter is being discussed between India and Iran. The official said that the development of Chabahar port has provided important opportunities for India and Iran to promote trade and economic engagement. This port is outside the scope of US sanctions against Iran.

He said, “We think there are many opportunities around Chabahar Port and it can be an important point for economic relations.” India has shown interest in cooperation in petrochemical industries around the port.