Reported on June 30 by the reference news website
Indian media said that two industry sources said that the Indian Ministry of Oil asked refineries to prepare for the "substantial reduction or reduction to zero" of oil imports from Iran since November. This is the first sign that New Delhi is responding to the United States as it urges all parties to cut off trade relations with Iran.
According to a report on the website of the Indian Economic Times on June 28, India once said that it would not recognize the unilateral restrictions imposed by the United States, but would comply with United Nations sanctions. However, industry sources said that as the second largest buyer of Iranian oil after China, India will be forced to take action to protect its exposure to the US financial system.
Sources said that the Indian Ministry of Oil held a meeting with several refineries on the 28th to urge them to find alternatives to Iranian oil.
It is reported that during the last round of sanctions, India was one of the few countries that continued to buy Iranian oil. Although the European and American sanctions cut off transportation, insurance and banking channels, India had to reduce imports.
A source said that the situation was different this time. "India, China and Europe are on one side, and the United States is on the other side... At the moment, we really don't know what to do, but at the same time, we must prepare ourselves to face any possibility".
In addition, it was reported on the website of the Indian Times on June 28 that under the circumstances that the US government led by President Trump announced zero tolerance for any country or entity that ignored its order - that is, to stop buying crude oil from Iran from November 4 - India seems to be preparing for the day when there is no Iranian oil and formulating alternative plans.
Indian officials still insist that they only recognize UN sanctions and will discuss this matter with the United States in due course. But the news from Washington has almost convinced people that India may have little room for manoeuvre and will have to prevent Iranian oil from flowing to its own refineries.
Indian Oil Minister Damendra Pradhan told reporters that the Indian government will follow the "national interest". This shows that New Delhi is in trouble.
The report said that, in fact, finding alternatives to Iranian oil is not a problem. Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait could fill vacancies.
The report also said that the real challenge for India is to strike a balance between maintaining its long-standing relationship with Tehran, protecting the financial/strategic interests of the Chabahar Port project in Iran, and avoiding attacks by the United States.
Indian media said that in the context of growing differences between the two countries, the United States suddenly cancelled the highly anticipated high-level talks with India on June 27. Part of the reason for the growing differences is that the chaotic Washington government apparently no longer regards India as a priority country.
According to a report on the website of the Indian Times on June 28, it is said that US officials have informed Indian officials that due to "inevitable reasons", the talks between the US defense minister and the Secretary of State of the United States and the Indian defense minister and foreign minister originally scheduled for July 6 in Washington have been "postponed".
Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ravish Kumar said on Twitter: "US Secretary of State Pompeo tried to get the understanding of Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj. They agreed to set a new suitable date for each other to hold dialogue as soon as possible in India or the United States."
It is reported that this is the second time that the "2+2" dialogue has been cancelled. In March, the then US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was dismissed by Trump, and the dialogue had to be "postponed".
The report also said that the postponement of the dialogue again coincided with the growing differences between Washington and New Delhi. These differences include that the United States has threatened to impose sanctions on India on two fronts: if it continues to buy S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems from Russia, and if it does not stop buying oil from Iran.
The report points out that the direct reason for canceling the July 6 talks is not known yet, but it is increasingly clear that India is no longer a priority country for a government that is inconsistent in foreign policy and can only say "the United States first".
According to the report, in fact, one possible explanation for canceling the talks is that the US government focuses on arranging the meeting between Trump and Putin. |
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