Highly gratified by cooperation from ‘great friend’ India on Iran: US

The United States is “highly gratified by co-operation from a great friend and partner like India” on the Iranian oil sanctions, the White House said on Wednesday as the Trump administration slapped sanctions against Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, ramping up its tension with Tehran.

“We have been highly gratified by cooperation from a great friend and partner like India, and even less well-aligned countries such as China, in making the rather obvious choice that the United States would be the business partner of choice, not Iran,” a senior official told reporters during a conference call after the Trump administration slapped sanctions against Zarif.

India, which has galloping energy needs, went out of its way to co-operate with the United States. India has brought down the import of oil from Iran, with which it has historic and cultural ties, to almost zero.