The Indian ambassador to Iran has expressed his countrys willingness to increase and diversify its investment in the Islamic Republic.
Addressing a gathering of businessmen in the southern Iranian province of Fars, Shri Dinkar Prakash Srivastava said New Delhi firmly seeks to expand economic and trade ties with Tehran.
Describing the current USD 173-million trade volume between Tehran and New Delhi as insufficient, the Indian diplomat called for the further enhancement of bilateral commercial ties.
Srivastava pointed to the purchase of Iranian crude oil by New Delhi and said India is one of the four countries which have imported a considerable amount of oil from Iran during the recent years.
The Indian official went on to say that his country needs large amounts of minerals such as copper, noting that Iran can meet the demands of the Indian market in this regard.
India is among Asias major importers of energy and relies on Iran to meet a portion of its energy demand. Iran was the second largest supplier of Indias crude before the tightening of US-led sanctions against Tehran about two years ago.