Iran objects to India-US nuclear deal

FACING strong opposition from the United States and some European countries over indigenous development of its nuclear programme, Iran has come out openly expressing concern over US-India nuclear deal, saying it violates the Non-Proliferation Treaty. The Deputy Head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organisation Mohammad Saeedi told the official Iranian News Agency that though India possesses nuclear weapons, it is not a signatory to the NPT and cannot make use of rights mentioned in the Treaty.

The approval of the India-US civilian nuclear cooperation deal by the Congress is a proof that Washington is too soft on India and deriding the NPT thus demonstrating its double standard on nuclear proliferation. A Chinese researcher at a leading think-tank in the country in his comments has rightly cautioned that if the US has made a “nuclear exception” for India, other powers could do the same with their friends and that will weaken the global non-proliferation regime. Several other world powers, not openly criticising the US move, for obvious reasons, have said that the agreement constituted a major blow to the international non-proliferation regime. Fears are also being expressed by anti-nuclear groups that the deal will definitely lead to global nuclear proliferation and competition. The question arises as to why the United States is so eager to provide advanced nuclear technology to India and urging members of the nuclear suppliers group to extend similar cooperation to a nuclear power which is not signatory to the NPT. Though Iran enjoys cooperative relationship with India, yet it is justified to question over the double standard of Washington. There is also genuine concern among the neighbouring countries of India over this one-sided deal as the technology being offered under the pretext of civilian purposes can be exploited and used for further fine tuning and enhancing of New Delhi’s nuclear weapons capability. On the face of it, the US says that it wants India to meet its energy needs through nuclear technology but then why it is denying the same technology to Pakistan and opposing Iranian nuclear programme. Analysts believe that the United States wants to strengthen India economically and militarily to counter the challenges in the region. Whatever the objectives behind the deal, it speaks of the dubious US policy and one is within his right to ask whether it is for preventing nuclear proliferation in the light of its opposition to Iranian programme or actively pushing in the opposite direction when considered in the context of cooperation to India?