Iranian Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi on Sunday harshly criticized the United States’ stance on Russian crude, claiming that Washington was now “begging” countries, including India, to buy Russian oil after earlier pressuring them to stop imports.In a post onHe also criticized Europe’s stance on the conflict, writing: “Europe believes that supporting an illegal war against Iran will win U.S. support for Russia.”
He ended the post with the blunt comment, “Sad,” while sharing a report highlighting that a U.S. war with Iran could ultimately benefit Russia, with whom Donald Trump remains at odds on several geopolitical issues.Araghchi’s remarks came a day after he spoke to Jaishankar in New Delhi. The call was the fourth interaction between the two ministers since tensions in the Middle East escalated.Meanwhile, Iran has allowed two Indian-flagged liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carriers to pass through the Strait of Hormuz despite the ongoing conflict in the region, Reuters reported, citing sources with direct knowledge of the matter.Reuters also reported, citing shipping data from Lloyd’s List Intelligence, that a crude oil tanker carrying Saudi Arabian oil was expected to arrive in India after crossing the Strait of Hormuz earlier this month.Also read: Iran attacks Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, five US tanker planes hitEarlier, Iranian Ambassador to India Mohammad Fatali confirmed that Tehran will ensure the safe passage of ships heading to India through the Strait of Hormuz.Responding to a question about whether ships heading to India would be allowed to pass safely through the critical energy route, Fatali said: “Yes. Because India and I are friends. You can see the future, I think in two or three hours. Because we believe in that. We believe that Iran and India are friends. We have common interests; we have a common destiny.”He added, “The pain of the Indian people is our pain and vice versa. So, the Indian government helps us and we should also help the Indian government because we have a common destiny and common interests.”
