India rejects US, EU sanctions on importing Iranian oil

As China drastically cuts down its oil imports from Iran ahead of possible new sanctions by the United States and the European Union, India has announced to continue importing crude Iranian oil, Indian media reported on Wednesday.
Brushing aside US sanctions that prevent financial institutions from doing business with Tehran and its central bank, Indian Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai said India would only accept sanctions imposed by the United Nations.
“We have accepted sanctions which are imposed by the UN. Other sanctions do not apply to individual countries. We can’t accept that,” said Mathai, adding that India had not sought any waiver from US sanctions.
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton told an Indian daily on Tuesday that the sanctions against Iran by the EU, which is on the verge of banning oil imports from Iran, were designed to make Iran fulfil its obligations as a signatory to the nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT).
“It’s not impossible for countries like India to have a strategic relation with Iran and yet convey that it is not fulfilling its international commitments in pursuing a nuclear weapons programme. The sanctions are designed to prevent Iran’s nuclear programme and nothing beyond that,” Ashton said.