NEW DELHI, May 7: US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton urged energy-starved India on Monday to reduce its Iranian oil imports to keep up pressure on the Islamic republic to come clean about its nuclear programme.

In meetings in New Delhi Clinton was expected to push for India to find alternative sources of oil on the international market.

Earlier Monday, she told a town hall meeting in the eastern city of Kolkata that there’s an adequate supply in the market for India to find other suppliers. Clinton noted India has taken some steps to reduce its imports from Iran but she says the US wants to see more.

“If there weren’t an adequate supply ... we would understand, but we believe that there is adequate supply,” she said.

India could face US sanctions by the end of June if the Obama administration determines it has not made significant cuts in imports under a law aimed at squeezing Iran’s petroleum industry to press the country to prove its nuclear programme is peaceful.

India, with a growth rate of about 7 percent, has a nearly insatiable need for oil. About 9 percent of its oil imports are from Iran, though officials say it has reduced its dependency on Iranian oil in recent months, ’’We appreciate what has been done and, of course, we want to keep the pressure on Iran,” Clinton said.—AP