The US on Wednesday exempted India and eight other nations from sanctions, noting that they had significantly reduced their imports of crude oil from Iran.

“The United States and the international community stand shoulder to shoulder in maintaining pressure on the Iranian regime until it fully addresses concerns about its nuclear programme,” said Secretary of State John F. Kerry.

Besides India, China, Malaysia, South Korea, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Turkey and Taiwan have been exempted from US sanctions for either significantly cutting oil imports from Iran or ending those purchases altogether.

The Obama administration issued waivers on the sanctions to Japan and 10 European Union countries in March.

Under a law passed in 2011, the US can sanction any firms that buy Iranian crude oil, but it can also grant exemptions from the sanctions to countries that have made a “significant reduction” in such imports from Iran. US officials have not defined what they mean by a “significant reduction.” India has cut its Iranian oil imports by nearly a fifth since December.

China, which has made more modest cuts, leads in the import of oil from Iran. US President Barack Obama is expected to raise the issue of China’s Iranian oil imports in his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in California on Friday.

Kerry said exemption from sanctions for the nine nations “is another example of the international community’s strong and steady commitment to convince Iran to meet its international obligations.”

“A total of 20 countries and economies have continued to significantly reduce the volume of their crude oil purchases from Iran or have completely eliminated such purchases,” he said.

The decision to provide exemptions is based on scrutiny of data gathered by agencies across the US government, including the Energy Department, the Energy Information Administration, the Treasury Department, the State Department and the intelligence agencies.

The sanctions exemptions will be reviewed after a period of 180 days. The US has led a Western effort to put pressure on Iran to dissuade it from developing a nuclear weapon. Iran says its nuclear program is intended for peaceful purposes.