'White House begging world, including India, to buy Russian crude': Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi

Tehran: Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Saturday criticised the United States over its stance on Russian oil, claiming Washington was now "begging" countries across the globe, including India, to purchase Russian crude despite earlier pressure to stop such imports.

In a post on X, Araghchi said, "The US spent months on bullying India into ending oil imports from Russia. After two weeks of war with Iran, White House is now begging the world--including India--to buy Russian crude."

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The Iranian foreign minister also criticised European countries for backing an "illegal war" against Iran, claiming they expected American support against Russia in return.

"Europe thought backing illegal war on Iran would win US support against Russia. Pathetic," he said.

Meanwhile, Iran has allowed two India-flagged liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carriers to transit through the Strait of Hormuz amid the conflict in the Middle East region, Reuters reported, citing four sources with direct knowledge of the matter.

Reuters, citing two sources and shipping data from Lloyd's List Intelligence, further reported that a crude oil tanker carrying Saudi Arabian oil is expected to arrive in India on Saturday after having transited the Strait of Hormuz around March 1.

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Earlier, Iran's Ambassador to India, Mohammad Fathali, confirmed that Tehran will provide safe passage to vessels bound for India through the Strait of Hormuz amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia, citing the longstanding friendship and shared interests between the two countries.

Answering a question on whether Iran would allow Indian-bound ships safe transit through the Strait, which is one of the critical routes for global energy trade, Fathali said, "Yes. Because India and I are friends. You can see the future, and I think that after two or three hours. Because we believe that. We believe that Iran and India are friends. We have common interests; we have a common fate."

He emphasised the mutual responsibility between the two nations, adding, "Suffering of the people of India is our suffering and vice versa. And for this reason, the government of India help us, and we should help the government of India because we have a common fate and common interest."