INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
ANI | Updated: May 14, 2019 02:43 ISTNew Delhi [India], May 14 (ANI): The United States is escalating tensions unnecessarily, said Iranian
Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, while adding that Iran does not seek escalation, it has always defended itself.Diplomatic tensions
have been high between the United States and Iran in recent times, especially after Washington announced that no fresh sanction waivers will
be issued for Iranian oil imports to eight countries, including India.The Foreign Minister made the comments while speaking to ANI on
arriving in New Delhi on Tuesday for an official two-day visit."Unfortunately the United States has been escalating the situation
We do not seek escalation but we have always defended ourselves," Zarif told ANI.He is scheduled to meet with External Affairs Minister
Sushma Swaraj at the Jawaharlal Nehru Bhawan here on Tuesday, in the wake of Iran's heightened diplomatic tensions with the USA.Speaking on
the Iran-India bilateral relationship, the Iranian minister said: " India is one of our most important partners - economic, political and
We have regular consultations with India on various issues and I'm here to have consultations with my counterpart on most recent
developments in the region as well as our bilateral relations."India and China are currently the largest importers of Iranian oil
Three of the eight countries who received the waivers -- including Greece, Italy, and Taiwan -- have already reduced their Iranian oil
