Iran Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani addresses the World Trade Center in Mumbai, on Tuesday, February 25, 2013.
Iran Majlis (parliament) Speaker Ali Larijani has called for Iran-India cooperation to prevent powerful countries from taking control of energy chokepoints.
In a meeting with the speaker of Maharashtra Legislative Assembly in Mumbai on Monday, Larijani said certain governments are disrupting energy flow under the pretext of anti-Iran sanctions.
“…But all of these are not due to their opposition to us. They are pursuing other long-term objectives in order to control energy chokepoints. Therefore, both sides (Iran and India) should collaborate to prevent others from seizing this chokepoint,” Larijani added.
He noted that Iran favors “sustainable economic ties” with the Indian state of Maharashtra due to its economic significance.
Larijani estimated at USD16 billion the volume of trade exchange between Iran and India, hoping for broader cooperation in agricultural, industrial and energy sectors.
On February 13, an Indian government source said New Delhi will provide insurance coverage for Indian refineries that import crude oil from Iran in defiance of the US-led sanctions against the Iranian energy sector.
A top oil buyer from Iran, energy-thirsty India has already organized emergency cover for vessels carrying crude oil from Iran.
Indian refiners HPCL, Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL) and Essar are the main clients of Iranian crude oil.
Earlier this month, the United States imposed new sanctions on Iran’s energy sector in an attempt to force the Islamic Republic to halt its nuclear energy program.
The sanctions, which took effect on February 6, prevent Iran from gaining access to earnings garnered through crude exports.
The sanctions require importing countries to keep their payments at home and only release them in return for purchase of goods from them by Iran, to effectively lock up Iranian oil revenues overseas.
The US has spearheaded several rounds of Western sanctions against Iran in recent years, based on the unfounded accusation that Iran is pursuing military objectives in its nuclear energy program.
KA/SS/MA
