US working with India on Iran oil replacements: Clinton

The United States is working with India to secure alternative sources of crude supply to Iran, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told a news conference on Tuesday, as Washington pressures its allies to reduce oil imports from Tehran.

Carlos Pascual, the US negotiator who has been pressing Iran's customers to cut imports, would visit India next week to discuss the issue. On Monday, Clinton said the United States was encouraged by steps India had already taken to cut but that "even more" was needed.

As Tehran's second-biggest crude customer, India is crucial to US efforts to squeeze Iran's economy until it agrees to curb its nuclear programme, which the United States and other Western nations suspect is a cover to build atomic weapons.