Responding to US sancions on Iranian oil, Sri Lanka's petroleum resources minister, Susil Premajayantha, reiterated Sri Lanka's dependency on Iranian oil.

Speaking to the Reuters news agency Premajayantha said,

"We don't have any other alternative than getting oil from Iran,"

"Our main problem is that you can't use all types of crude here for our machines."

According to Reuters, three officials from the central bank and petroleum ministry, told reporters on condition of anonymity, that Sri Lanka may consider buying Iranian crude through an intermediary in the Middle East or a Chinese company that could then convert costs into a long-term loan.

Meanwhile, the governor of the central bank, Ajith Cabraal, confirmed that Sri Lanka would be seeking a waiver to the sanctions, following countries such as Japan, Turkey and South Korea.

Speaking to Reuters, Cabraal explained,

"We have to do it very carefully,"

"The foreign ministry has to give their two cents, the petroleum ministry has to give their two cents, we will have to give our two cents and then we will have to see the whole thing together."

"We know how much oil we are importing, we have to see what are the options available to us, examine that and take a call where to pitch our line and then only we will take a decision,"

European Union diplomats agreed to an oil embargo on Iranian oil earlier this month.

Commenting on the oil embargo via a social networking site, the US ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice, said, "we want everyone who is a purchaser of Iranian oil to think twice about whether they want to be dependent on Iran or look elsewhere".