Written question asked by Michael Ellis (Conservative) on Thursday, 8 March 2012, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 12 March 2012. It was answered by Alistair Burt (Conservative) on Wednesday, 14 March 2012 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Iran

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his (a) Chinese and (b) Indian counterparts on trade with Iran.

Answer: The Government discourage trade with Iran. As part of the dual track policy of pressure and engagement, the Government are committed to lobbying other countries to (i) implement targeted UN sanctions against Iran rigorously, and (ii) extend sanctions against Iran to the same level as those agreed by the UK, wherever possible.The Government regularly discuss these issues with both India and China. In particular, we have recently lobbied both countries to reduce their dependence on Iranian oil following the implementation of a phased oil embargo (by the EU) on 23 January.

Secondary information