NEW DELHI: Iran has asked India for $1.5bn in back oil payments under the nuclear deal that provides Tehran some relief from Western sanctions, Indian sources with direct knowledge of the matter said yesterday.
If the payments are approved, this could make India the third of Iran’s major buyers, after Japan and South Korea, to start processing frozen back payments. The payments are contingent on Iran holding to its agreement to start curbing its nuclear programme.
Indian refiners are holding about $3bn in payments due the Middle Eastern crude producer.
Other funds owed to Tehran are held in a rupee-denominated account at India’s UCO Bank.
Under the November 24 agreement with six major powers, Iran won access to $4.2bn of its oil revenues frozen abroad. The fund will be paid out in eight money transfers on a schedule that started with a $550m payment by Japan on February 1.
South Korea is set to make two payments in March totalling $1bn, banking sources said, and the next scheduled tranche of oil funds would come on April 10.
“Out of the $4.2bn they have sought $1.5bn from us,” one of the sources said.
Tehran has already submitted requests to the United States for funds from each of its four major Asian buyers — Japan, South Korea, India and China.
The sources, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said they did not yet know the timing and the banking mechanism to be used. But they said the payments will be from the dollar funds held by refiners.
Tehran is allowed to receive $450m on March 1 if it satisfies targets set down in the November deal, according to the payment schedule. It can then receive two further tranches of $550m on March 7 and April 10 without having to meet further conditions.
Reuters
