U.S. official: Iran feels financial pressure around the world

Iran is feeling financial pressure around the world, U.S. State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland said at a daily briefing in Washington, U.S. State Department website reported. Speaking about Iran's defaults on rise payments to India, Nuland noted that U.S. sanctions on Iran includes some exceptions, among which is food. "The U.S. sanctions on Iran include exceptions for exports of things like food, medicine, medical devices. So from our perspective, this kind of trade would not be sanctioned. That said, if it's true, that Iran is defaulting, it would simply speak to the financial pressure that they're feeling around the world," Nuland noted. Iranian buyers have defaulted on payments for about 200,000 tonnes of rice from their top supplier India, exporters and rice millers said on Tuesday, a sign of the mounting pressure on Tehran from a new wave of Western sanctions. The default prompted the head of the All India Rice Exporters' Association to call on members to stop rice exports to Iran based on credit, which would be a fresh blow to a country where imports of staple foods are already being hampered by sanctions. Iran relies on imports for about 45 pct of its annual rice consumption of 2.9 million tonnes, according to U.S. Dept. of Agriculture data. India is Iran's top rice supplier, accounting for some 70 percent of its annual requirement of 1-1.2 million tonnes of the grain. Under a tightening grip of sanctions, the country of 74 million people is finding it increasingly difficult to repatriate the hard currency from its crude oil exports, its major foreign currency earner, that it needs to pay for shipments of food and other imports. Nuland added that the U.S. is working with Indian Government as well as other governments around the world to encourage them to reduce their dependence on Iranian oil. Talking about the recent arrests in Iran, where a number of people working for Persian language service of the BBC have been arrested, Nuland expressed the concern and urged Iranian security forces to release the captured. "Our concern is that the Iranian regime is putting a further chill on the press environment in advance of their parliamentary elections, their legislative elections on March 2nd, and that they are even trying to reach the arms of the state out to overseas Iranians who work for international press organizations," Nuland said. Earlier, an informed source confirmed reports saying that some people working for BBC have been arrested in Iran, according to Iranian media. The report said these people were tasked to collect news and information about Iran for BBC. They have been arrested by Iran's security forces. "We call on Iranian security forces to cease the harassment of those seeking to exercise their universal rights, and we will stand with Iranian journalists and civil society activists in their continuing fight for the ability to express themselves freely," Nuland added. Edited by: S. Isayev