India shrugs off US comments over dependency on Iranian oil

New Dehi, Mar 1: As US is mounting pressure on India and other countries to reduce its dependency on Iranian oil, India on Thursday said that it will continue to import oil from them.

According to government sources, New Delhi said that it would not be under pressure by any country in this regard.

"We respect UN sanctions but will not honour any other sanction. We have cordial relations with Iran and we continue to import oil from them," said Oil Minister S Jaipal Reddy.

Asserting that India was not facing any pressure on buying crude oil from the Islamic Republic, Reddy further said that it will stand by US sanctions, but not by those brought down by any bloc of nations.

Hillary Clinton on Monday had asked countries to reduce dependence on Iranian oil, without taking any names.

"With respect to China and Turkey and India, we've had very intense and very blunt conversations with each of those countries. I think that there are a number of steps that we are pointing out to them that we believe they can and should take," Clinton had said.

OneIndia News