Jaishankar on striking balance between US and Iran: Affordable, predictable access to energy is very important to India

Affordable and predictable access to energy is "very important" for India, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Tuesday in response to how New Delhi would strike balance in its relationship with both the US and Iran politically and on the energy front.

India recently held a fresh round of talks with the US government on renewed energy imports from Iran. The country stopped importing crude oil from Tehran on May 2 after the White House toughened its sanctions on the Islamic nation and removed waivers granted to India and several other countries.

"We have been assured. We need solutions that would work for us. At the same time, we have a lot of other relations with Iran as well, we have a strong political relationship, we have a cultural relationship, we operate a port in that country which services Afghanistan. Those are equities which we would protect, " the Minister said while speaking at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a Washington-based think tank.

"We have a larger gulf concern which is from the fact that we have a large diaspora there, we have 9 million people. In terms of energy, in terms of reminiscences, it is important. In terms of security and I would say even the radicalisation challenges that he region can throw up those are important for us as well, " Jaishankar said while reiterating India's position on Iran.

-ANI