US expects India to play key role in sanctions against Iran

Lalit K Jha
Washington, Apr 3 (PTI) Sending a "strong signal" to
countries engaged in business dealings with Iran that they may
face ramifications, the US has asked India and other emerging
powers to play a key role in galvanising the global community
for imposing sanctions against Tehran over its nuclear issue.
"We are expecting everyone, particularly, emerging
powers to play a significant role in this (issue)," Assistant
Secretary of State for Public Affairs, P J Crowley, told
reporters, when asked about the latest Indian move to resume
talks with Iran for a multi-billion dollar gas pipeline
project.
His comments came a day after Assistant Secretary of
State for South and Central Asia Robert Blake warned all
countries against engaging in transactions with Iran.
Pakistan and Iran have already inked an agreement on the
gas pipeline project two weeks ago.
"We have a broad-based dialogue with both India and
Pakistan. Part of the dialogue in each country is to
understand and help, with the respective and legitimate energy
needs that countries in the region have," Crowley said.
"But we are also sending a very strong signal to a range
of countries; not just in South Asia, throughout the world, to
those countries that have economic relations with Iran or to
those sectors of the global economy that do business with
Iran, understand where this process is going, and understand
that ultimately ... there will be ramifications here in terms
of how this proceeds," he said.
Noting that the US is in discussion with P5 + One (US,
UK, Russia, France and China plus Germany) on the issue of
additional sanction on Iran through the UN Security Council,
Crowley said that Washington expects "depending on not only
what's in that resolution but other steps that countries will
take for going forward."
The international community as a whole has to be
united behind this effort, and has to enforce whatever
sanctions are put in place against Iran. "There are, you know,
existing sanctions already in place," he said.
"We have expressed our concerns to a number of
countries that have ongoing economic relations with Iran that
now may not be the best time to pursue such (relationship),"
Crowley said when asked if the US has taken up the issue
specifically with India and Pakistan.
Observing that the US does not think in "zero-sum terms"
while talking about developments in the region, he said it
does recognise ultimately the growth of legitimate trade that
more fully integrates countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan and
others into a regional or global trading system. PTI