Hyderabad: India need not take an aggressive position in public on the issue of US sanctions on nations defying its directive to bring their oil imports from Iran to zero by November 4, says a former Indian diplomat.
India has to play a cautious role, in that priority should be the country’s national interests, former Ambassador of India to Saudi Arabia Oman and the UAE Talmiz Ahmad said.
“India’s national interests lie in maintaining relations with Iran while at the same time not totally alienating the United States”, he told PTI.
He was of the view that over a period of time or as early as six months, the entire sanctions regime would “collapse”.
According to him, there would be some reduction in oil purchases from Iran in the short term but it’s not likely to continue for a longer period.
