India to keep buying Iranian oil: sources

India will buy 9 million barrels of Iranian oil in November, two industry sources said, indicating that the world's third-biggest oil importer is to continue purchasing crude from the Islamic republic despite US sanctions coming into force on Nov 4.

"Refiners have placed November nominations to lift 1.25 million tonnes (about 9 million barrels) of oil from Iran," one of the sources said.

Indian Oil Corp will lift 6 million barrels of Iranian oil and Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd 3 million barrels, the source told Reuters.

The United States plans to impose new sanctions targeting Iran's oil sector on Nov 4 to try to stop the country's involvement in conflicts in Syria and Iraq and bring Tehran to the negotiating table over its ballistic missile programme.

The sources declined to be identified as they were not authorised to speak to the media.

Indian refiners imported around 10 million barrels of Iranian oil in October.

In the previous round of sanctions, India continued to buy Iranian oil although it had to cut purchases significantly to protect its wider exposure to the US financial system.

India's foreign minister said in May it abides only by sanctions imposed by the United Nations and not those imposed by any other country.

India, Iran's top client after China, has close diplomatic ties with Iran, where it is building a strategic port called Chabahar that is expected to be operational by 2019.