Nikki Haley advises PM Modi against Iranian oil import

Snigdha Raju

Nikki Haley, the US’s ambassador for the UN, reiterated US President Donald Trump’s policy to cut off funding to Iran by asking PM Modi to cut off India’s oil dependency on Iran.

Iran is India's third-largest oil supplier after Iraq and Saudi Arabia, according to Indian government data. And India buys more Iranian oil than any country except China.

She also said that the United States would work to allow India to use an Iranian port as corridor to Afghanistan.

"Sanctions are coming (on Iran) and we're going forward on that, and with India and the U.S. building strong relationships we hoped that they would lessen their dependence on Iran," Haley said after her meeting with Modi.

The United States said that it has told the countries to cut off all imports of Iranian oil from November, which follows Trump backing out from a 2015 deal this May. Haley said she also discussed with Modi the Indian-backed Chabahar port complex in Iran, being developed as part of a new transportation corridor for landlocked Afghanistan and which could open the way for millions of dollars in trade and cut Afghanistan's dependence on neighboring Pakistan.

Regarding the rising trade tensions between US and India, she said that “the idea of a trade war isn’t even an option”

"More than China, India is unlikely to capitulate to the US demand," analysts at the Eurasia Group wrote in a note on Tuesday. They estimate that India is currently buying about 700,000 barrels per day from Iran, a critical and strategic source of supply to meet India's growing demand for energy.

Haley also met Sushma Swaraj, the Minister of External affairs of India as well.

Talking to the members of an Indian think Tank in New Delhi, she also said that US will not tolerate Pakistan harboring terrorists.

She also mentioned how religious freedom should continue to be upheld through tolerance.

On China, she said the country was important but noted that its expansion in the region has been a matter of concern for the US and many other countries as Beijing does not share democratic values.