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India was about to embark on lucrative deals on Russian weapons and Iranian oil, despite warnings and possible Washington sanctions.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday signed a multi-billion dollar deal with Moscow to provide New Delhi with the advanced S-400 ground-to-air missile system. The agreement was part of a number of defense, economic and energy-related measures forged between the two leaders during Putin's two-day visit to India. , whose head of state praised the country's "special and privileged strategic partnership" with Russia.
These measures come at a time when the United States was trying to clamp down on Russia's growing international influence, accusing it of intervening in the 2016 presidential elections and carrying out destabilizing activities across the country. world. Washington has taken measures to impose sanctions on Russian arms buyers and, while India was seeking a waiver for the purchase of the S-400, the Trump government refused to waive its economic restrictions.
Friday's joint statement between Modi and Putin also took a step forward by noting that "military and technical-military cooperation between the two countries is an important element of their strategic partnership", marking the strengthening of cooperation.
The CAATSA (Countering America Adversaries Through Sanctions Act), enacted and promulgated last summer, established a list of banned Russian individuals and entities, including those related to the defense and intelligence sectors. The United States applied the law for the first time last month by targeting the Chinese Army Equipment Development Department to acquire Sukhoi Su-35 Russian planes and S-400 systems, angering China and sending a message to other potential S-400 customers such as India. , Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
On Friday, however, Modi said that India and Russia, which have maintained close ties throughout the Cold War, "are unanimous in strengthening multipolarity and multilateralism in a rapidly changing world." Modi and Putin have "stressed the importance of the full and effective implementation of the Joint Global Action Plan", the official name of the Iranian nuclear deal abandoned by Trump in May.
The US exit has met opposition from China and Russia, as well as traditional allies such as France, Germany and the United Kingdom, all of whom have signed the agreement and continue to support him. While the International Atomic Energy Agency claimed that Iran was restricting its nuclear activities enough, Trump accused the Shiite Muslims of revolutionary power of supporting powerful militias in the Middle East and developing a menacing ballistic missile technology. . As a result, those doing business with Iran would be punished and the administration expressly warned the allies.
National Security Advisor John Bolton told reporters Thursday at the White House that, as part of discussions with countries like Iraq and India, the United States had "done" additional efforts to try to find replacement sellers for oil so that there are alternative sources of supply in the market ". rate, "according to the Indian newspaper Economic time. The Indian TV channel NDTV, quoting traders and maritime intelligence company Kpler, said Indian imports of Iranian crude increased five-fold in August, as imports from the United States fell by 75 percent before 4 November deadline.
Nevertheless, India would continue to buy from Iran once this date has passed. The Press Trust of India, quoted by major industry sources, said Friday that the country plans to import about 1.25 million tons of crude oil and that it would use the rupee at place of the dollar as currency of exchange. Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif also said last month that he had been assured that India would continue to import energy, according to Reuters.
The United States has struggled to rally support from the international community for the Iran deal, which Tehran continues to respect following Trump's withdrawal. Last month, the EU announced that China, France, Germany, Russia and the United Kingdom would develop an alternative payment system to bypass the United States and continue to do business with Iran. The International Court of Justice ruled on Thursday that the United States should lift some of its sanctions on humanitarian trade, food, medicine and civil aviation in Iran.
India and the United States have always maintained close ties and signed their own defense agreement last month. India has also been working with Iran and Russia to try to improve security in Afghanistan, where the militant Taliban militant group has challenged a 17-year war effort by the United States. Last month, India and Russia participated in the first-ever Regional Security Dialogue ever held in Iran, which also included Afghanistan and China.
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