Indian FM: New Delhi will not follow US sanctions on Iran

India’s foreign minister Sushma Swaraj at the meeting with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif - Photo: anninhthudo

US President Donald Trump this month withdrew the United States from the Iran nuclear deal and ordered the re-imposition of US sanctions against Iran that were suspended under the 2015 accord, Reuters reported.

“India follows only UN sanctions, and not unilateral sanctions by any country,” Sushma Swaraj said at a news conference in response to a question on India’s response to the US decision.

India and Iran have long-standing political and economic ties, with Iran being one of India’s top oil suppliers.

Iran’s top diplomat Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif traveled to India as part of international consultations aimed at discussing continued mutual cooperation with world countries now that the US has quit the nuclear accord.

Some of the consultations have taken place so far, and some will happen in the future, he said at the airport.

“We maintain extensive consultations with New Delhi as a regional political and economic partner these days, especially now that the United States has violated the JCPOA,” he added.

Zarif was referring to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action between Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council – the US, the UK, France, Russia, China – plus Germany.

Thus far, Zarif has visited China, Russia, and Brussels to address the aftermath of an announcement by Washington this month that it would leave the deal and re-introduce its nuclear-related sanctions against Tehran.

Now, the other signatories to the deal have to choose between following in the US footsteps or remaining in the accord and risk angering Washington.

All had warned Washington against leaving the accord as it could not be terminated by a single party due to being a multi-national one, which has been ratified as a Security Council resolution. All, too, have vowed to do their utmost to preserve the accord, which they hail as a pillar of regional and international peace and stability.