“We don’t support the nuclear weapons aspirations of Iran,” PM Manmohan Singh said, stepping beyond the position government had so far followed on the issue. This is a more hardline position on Iran’s nuclear ambitions than has been exhibited thus far by the Indian government. It is in line with expectation that US would expect greater convergence on Iran after the nuclear deal.
Singh was talking to reporters along with French President Nicolas Sarkozy and head of the European Council Jose Manuel Barroso after the India-EU Summit here where the European body emphasised the need to deter Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
Asked whether India and EU were on the same page on Iran, the PM said, “We don’t support the emergence of a nuclear weapon state in our region.” In fact, in the aftermath of India’s new nuclear status, India is now showing a more strident non-proliferation side. He also repeated that Iran, as a signatory to NPT, was entitled to get all the assistance it needed to develop its civil nuclear energy programme. However, as a NPT signatory… >>>
