India has decided to resort to Saudi Arabia and Oman for its crude purchases after New Delhi cut its oil imports from Iran by 21.8 percent since the beginning of the year, sources from the oil industry reported.

According to two informed sources, India’s Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd. (MRPL) bought crude oil from the Abu Safah oilfield for the first time, as well as from Omani, to lessen its dependence on Iranian oil.

Abu Safah is an offshore field of Arab medium crude that Bahrain shares with Saudi Arabia, while Saudi Aramco handles marketing through Ras Tanura.

Buyers are finding it increasingly difficult to purchase Iranian oil after the US imposed sanctions on the Kish Protection and Indemnity Club and the Bimeh Markazi-Central Insurance of Iran. The US says that Kish provides insurance for the National Iranian Tanker Co.

The European Union and US sanctions aimed at forcing Iran to curb its disputed nuclear program have more than halved Iran’s oil exports in 2012.

India’s MRPL purchased 500,000 barrels from the Abu Safah oil field, which will be shipped between April 1 and April 15. In addition, India’s MRPL has bought another 650,000 barrels from Oman and that shipment will be delivered in the second half of April by the trading arm of Shell.

The sources revealed that MRPL bought Abu Safah crude at a premium of around $ 1.60 over the price of Dubai crude, while it paid a premium of $1.80 for Omani crude.

MRPL runs a refinery in southern India at a capacity of 300,000 barrels per day (bpd). It is the largest buyer of Iranian crude.