In an apparent warning to India, US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said that his administration will 'take care' of the countries which will continue to import oil from Iran after the November 4 deadline when the US sanctions on Iranian oil purchases take effect.
"We will take care of them," Trump told reporters when asked about the decision of some countries like India and China to continue to purchase oil from Iran.
Earlier on Monday, Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Monday said that two state refiners have placed orders for importing crude oil from Iran in November.
He had said that India has its own energy requirements which it has to fulfill.
Indian Oil Corp (IOC) and Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL) together have placed order for 1.25 million tonne (MT) of crude oil from Iran.
Trump in May withdrew from the 2015 nuclear accord with Iran, re-imposing economic sanctions against the Persian Gulf nation. Some sanctions took effect from August 6 while those affecting the oil and banking sectors will start from November 4.
Iran is India's third-largest oil supplier behind Iraq and Saudi Arabia.