The US administration has showed its concern over the Indian proposal to purchase gas and oil from Iran. The US Energy Secretary Sam Bodman said on this matter that if India would buy the oil and gas from Iran, it would be helpful for the funding of Iran’s ongoing development of nuclear weapons.
Bodman, on his 3-day visit to India, said in Mumbai as;
In our judgment, the proposed gas pipeline would contribute in the development of nuclear weapons in Iran.
According to the United States reports, Iran is developing nuclear weapons behind closed doors. The other nations have come to the conclusion that new U.N. sanctions should be imposed on Iran that is allegedly developing atomic programs in the country.
Despite of growing international pressure, Iran decided to continue its uranium enrichment work and said that the program is only for peaceful purposes to generate more electricity.
On the other hand, Bodman said that US has no problem with India’s on this proposal of the $7 billion gas pipeline from Iran via Pakistan. But he said that of course the pipeline would help to fund Iran’s nuclear programs.
He said:
This would be against the interest of the United States. I think that supporting nuclear weapons is against the interest of the world.
India is likely to sign the gas pipeline deal with Iran by the end of June. India is also negotiating for another deal of 5 million tones of liquefied natural gas per year over a 25-year period from 2009.
According to another report, India has asked Pakistan to lower its transit fees; otherwise, India would not take part in the Asian pipeline dream.
The ultimatum from Indian side was given to Pakistan’s visiting energy advisor PM Mukhtar Ahmad just after one day of US energy secretary Samuel Bodman’s statement came in media that US is not happy with India on the pipeline project with Iran.
