India's Modi-Iran meeting comes amid US warnings of sanctions on Tehran's trading partners

The Trump administration is ramping up economic sanctions on Iran through "Operation Economic Outcast," while also threatening dire secondary sanctions against countries that continue Iran-related business.

The new policy puts countries like India and other close U.S. partners in an awkward situation.

New Delhi remains a critical U.S. partner in the Indo-Pacific, but it also has commercial, energy and strategic interests in Iran that it won't likely discard, potentially putting it at odds with the Trump administration.