Iran's Top Diplomat To Visit New Delhi For Talks With Indian Counterpart- Foreign Ministry

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Tuesday will visit New Delhi to hold negotiations with his Indian counterpart, Sushma Swaraj, India's Foreign Ministry said

NEW DELHI (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th May, 2019) Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Tuesday will visit New Delhi to hold negotiations with his Indian counterpart, Sushma Swaraj, India's Foreign Ministry said.

Zarif's visit to India comes against the background of late April's US decision to end waivers that allowed Iran's top oil customers, including India, to temporarily continue buying Iranian oil. US officials said the move was part of a strategy to bring Iran oil exports to zero. Commenting the issue, the Indian Foreign Ministry said that New Delhi had taken necessary steps to address consequences of the US move and would continue to work with partners "to protect India's energy and economic security interests."

A representative of the Indian diplomatic mission told Sputnik that the issue of Iranian oil imports would be one of the key points in the negotiations' agenda along with the Chabahar Port construction, which is the largest project in Iran-India bilateral economic relations.

In November 2018, US President Donald Trump's administration unveiled the full extent of its sanctions against Iran, which targeted its energy, banking, shipping and aviation sectors. China, Greece, India, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Turkey were granted waivers that allowed them to temporarily continue buying Iranian oil. Washington explained then that these nations had agreed to dramatically reduce oil imports from Tehran.

Tensions between Iran and the United States soared when Trump, a long-time critic of the landmark Iran nuclear deal, pulled out of the agreement in May 2018. It took Washington less than a year to reinstate sweeping sanctions against the Islamic Republic.