RoydadNaft –  Reza Sepahvand, a member of Iran’s parliamentary energy commission, confirmed that New Delhi has formally requested to purchase oil from Tehran, aware of the looming activation of the UN “snapback” sanctions mechanism. While the exact volume has not been disclosed, he estimated potential imports at around 10 million barrels annually.

Official data released last week by India’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry showed that New Delhi imported a crude shipment worth $111 million from Iran.

Between January and July 2025, India’s purchases of Iranian petroleum products reached $94 million, bringing the total value of crude and refined product imports from Iran to $205 million—equivalent to 54 percent of Iran’s total exports to India during the period.

Bloomberg reported two weeks ago that Indian officials told the Trump administration they could only significantly scale back oil imports from Russia if Washington allowed purchases from other sanctioned producers, namely Iran and Venezuela.

Indian representatives argued that cutting off supplies from all three simultaneously would trigger global price spikes, as nearly 90 percent of India’s oil needs are met through imports.

India halted crude purchases from Tehran in 2018, after Washington withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and ended sanctions waivers that had allowed limited Iranian oil sales.

The renewed purchases come despite statements by U.S. officials earlier this year. In April, Energy Secretary Chris Wright declared, “We can stop Iran’s oil exports,” while Treasury Secretary said in February that Washington aimed to reduce Iranian exports to just 100,000 barrels per day.