Sri Lanka expects a U.S. waiver of sanctions on imports of Iranian crude after the island nation took steps to cut imports from Iran by up to 38 percent, switching to alternatives from Oman and Saudi Arabia, the country's petroleum industries minister Susil Premajayantha said on Tuesday, Reuters reported.
Premajayantha, Sri Lanka's petroleum industries minister, said the nation, which is dependent on crude imports, has taken steps to reduce Iran crude purchases to eight cargoes per year from 13 earlier, buying four cargoes from Oman and one from Saudi Aramco.
"We believe this is a significant reduction of Iranian imports," Premajayantha told Reuters in an interview.
"So we are expecting a concession. We have communicated the action plan to them (United States) and the steps we have taken," he said.
Sri Lanka, which depends mainly on Iran crude, had earlier been buying 13 cargoes of 135,000 metric tons each from Iran and one of similar capacity from Saudi Arabia annually.
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