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GULF NEWS -  India wants to keep buying Iranian oil at its current level of about 300,000 barrels per day (bpd), as it negotiates with Washington about extending a sanctions waiver past early May, two sources with knowledge of the matter said. New Delhi is asking to be allowed to still buy Iranian oil at current levels of around 1.25 million tonnes per month, or about 300,000 barrels per day, the sources said.

The US reimposed sanctions against Iran in November last year in a dispute over Tehran's nuclear and missile ambitions, after President Donald Trump pulled Washington out of a 2015 deal between Iran and six world powers.

Although the US granted Iran's biggest customers — China, India, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Turkey, Italy and Greece — waivers that have allowed them to continue limited imports, Washington is putting pressure on governments to eventually cut imports to zero. The current round of waivers expires around May 4.

Vincent Campos, a spokesman at the US State Department's energy bureau, did not confirm that India was asking the US to renew its waiver, but said talks are ongoing with the eight consumers of Iran's oil that received waivers in November with the aim of eventually cutting the imports to zero.

"We continue to have bilateral discussions," with each of the countries including India, Campos said.

Talks with Washington on extending the waiver slowed due to the US government shutdown that extended through January, one of the Indian sources said. Talks have now resumed and India wants to get clarity before general elections scheduled in May, the source said.

India's move to seek extended sanctions exemptions comes as Washington plans to end preferential trade treatment for India that allows duty-free entry for up to $5.6 billion worth of its exports to the United States.

India is the biggest beneficiary of the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP), which dates from the 1970s, and ending its participation would be the strongest punitive action the United States has taken against the country since Trump took office.

Iran was India's seventh biggest oil supplier in January compared with its position as third biggest a year ago before the reimposition of sanctions.

Iran, a member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec), exported almost 3 million bpd of oil at its pre-sanctions peak, but supply has dwindled to around 1.25 million bpd since the start of the year, shipping data in Refinitiv showed.

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Earlier:

2019, February, 25, 11:45:00 U.S. OIL FOR INDIA: $1.5 BLN NAR - India is seeking to diversify its oil import sources amid tough U.S. sanctions on Iran and Venezuela, two key members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries that provides the bulk of its crude needs.

2019, January, 14, 11:55:00 IRAN'S OIL FOR INDIA DOWN 41% REUTERS - India’s oil imports from Iran fell by 41 percent in December to 302,000 barrels per day oil (bpd), ship tracking data reviewed by Reuters showed, as pressure from U.S. sanctions took effect.

2018, December, 21, 14:10:00 INDIA'S OIL IMPORTS DOWN BY 11.4% PLATTS - India imported 17 million mt (4.2 million b/d) of crude oil in November, down 11.4% year on year, the latest provisional data from the country's Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell showed.

2018, December, 17, 10:25:00 IRAN'S OIL FOR INDIA DOWN REUTERS - India’s monthly oil imports from Iran plunged to their lowest in a year in November with Tehran dropping two places to become only the sixth biggest supplier after New Delhi cut purchases due to the impact of U.S. sanctions, according to ship tracking data and industry sources.

2018, December, 14, 09:00:00 IRAN'S OIL: NO CUTS SHANA - “OPEC resolution states that the Secretary-General and OPEC's President would allow countries that subject to certain sanctions to be exempted from production cuts,” Zangeneh added.

2018, December, 7, 08:20:00 IRANIAN OIL PRICE: $60 - $70 SHANA - Asked about potential OPEC production cuts, Mr. Zangeneh said, “Different figures are proposed and we must wait and see what decision OPEC members will make.” He also said that $60 to $70 dollars per barrel would be reasonable for crude oil.

2018, November, 23, 12:20:00 INDIA'S OIL IMPORTS UP TO 5 MBD PLATTS - India's crude imports surged to 5 million b/d in October to register the highest monthly inflows in more than seven years as refiners rushed to ship in cargoes amid doubts on whether New Delhi would win a waiver on Iran.