Iran is not a stable partner: US

NEW DELHI: The US on Monday indirectly cautioned India against the proposed Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project by saying that Iran is not a ‘stable partner’. Assistant secretary of state Richard Boucher said that it was, of course, up to India to decide on going ahead with the pipeline project based on its commercial viability, but he added, “We haven’t found Iran to be a stable partner in anything.”

He further went on to say that India should look at Central Asia for its energy requirements and added that he had held meetings with officials in the ministry of external affairs on the issue. He said the US wants to promote the opening up of Afghanistan and making it a transit point.

India’s ties with Iran have been viewed with great suspicion in the US. The US House of Representatives legislation seeking nuclear technology trade with India has a non-binding clause that states that the US would like India’s help in containing Iran from continuing its arms programme. There is a strong lobby in the US that has been openly demanding that India join the US against Iran.

The issue of Iran has also been a prickly one in domestic politics since India voted against Iran in the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The Left parties had criticised the government for voting against Iran and have since accused the government of succumbing to US pressure. The Left has also accused the government of being influenced by US pressure on the gas pipeline issue by looking at another gas pipeline project through Turkmenistan, which the US supports.

The Left parties has been claiming that the government is giving up an independent foreign policy, and has also started a campaign on the issue.

India in September had voted against Iran in the IAEA refering the nuclear issue to the UN Security Council. Left criticism had then led to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to issue a statement in Parliament saying that Iran has the legal right to develop peaceful uses of nuclear energy consistent with its international commitments and obligations.

India had recently also reiterated its support for Iran’s right to a peaceful nuclear programme through a NAM resolution which was also viewed with suspicion in the US. Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran has also said that Iran will remain a very important energy partner for India and that the IPI project will be based on its economic viability.

The $7 billion IPI project has anyway hit a roadblock over pricing with India not in agreement with the price of the natural gas being quoted by Iran. The three countries, at recent talks, had agreed to appoint an international consultant to look into the pricing issue.