Cut Iran oil imports: US envoy

New US ambassador to India Nancy Powell has said that India must cut its imports of Iranian oil.

New US ambassador to India Nancy Powell has said that India must cut its imports of Iranian oil.

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US secretary of state Hillary Clinton, who was in New Delhi two weeks ago, had also made a similar demand from India.

India relies heavily on Iranian crude, and has announced trimming imports by 34%. Powell said the question of waiving US sanctions on India for importing Iranian oil — as has been done in the case of Japan — was still “premature”.

Suggesting than India should look for alternative sources to meet its energy needs, Powell said in an interview to CNN-IBN that India needs to speed up the pace of the civil nuclear deal legislation. He hoped that at least “one American deal goes through this year”.

Powell also said the US was convinced on (the guilt of) Hafiz Saeed, but “needs proof against him that will stand in a Pakistani court”.