The European Union has asked India to use its influence to help bring Iran to the negotiating table over its disputed nuclear program.

The EU and its allies want India to curtail its trade with Iran, namely its import of Iranian oil.

India, which has traditionally had friendly ties with Tehran, imports 12 percent of its oil from Iran, its second-largest supplier.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has resisted pressure from the EU, saying the Iranian nuclear issue should be settled through “diplomacy.”

Following in the footsteps of the United States, the EU has passed a series of additional economic sanctions targeting Iran’s oil industry and Central Bank.

Source : RFE/RL