Modi Meets Iran's Pezeshkian as US Threatens Secondary Sanctions on $707 Million in Indian Oil Imports
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Sep 3
Modi Meets Iran's Pezeshkian as US Threatens Secondary Sanctions on $707 Million in Indian Oil Imports
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Sep 3
Summary
Modi held his first meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in six months on the sidelines of the SCO summit, signaling India will keep engaging Tehran despite Washington’s new sanctions drive.
Pezeshkian asked India to use its diplomatic reach to push the region back toward dialogue, while Modi said New Delhi wanted to strengthen long-standing ties and expand the trade basket.
Washington has paired "Operation Economic Outcast" with warnings that any country helping Iran evade sanctions could be punished, and Treasury has already sanctioned four India-based companies and three Indian nationals.
India’s exposure is limited but real: it imported about $707 million of Iranian crude in the first half after resuming purchases in April, while exports to Iran included more than $383 million of rice.
The clash tests a strategically important US-India relationship, with analysts saying New Delhi would ultimately prioritize US trade ties but that hard enforcement could still strain cooperation against China.