India backs Irans right to develop peaceful use of nuclear energy

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Navtej Sarna has said that India backed Irans right to develop peaceful use of nuclear energy, while maintaining that Tehran has to fulfill all its international commitments.

New Delhi, Sept. 8 : External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Navtej Sarna has said that India backed Iran's right to develop peaceful use of nuclear energy, while maintaining that Tehran has to fulfill all its international commitments.

"Iran has the right to develop peaceful use of nuclear energy while fulfilling all its international commitments and obligations. The need for the nuclear issue to be dealt with in active and transparent cooperation with the IAEA, through dialogue and negotiation," Sarna said.

The Foreign Ministry's comments came after Iran's visiting Deputy Foreign Minister, Mahdi Safari, met External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee.

Under an August 21 deal, the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency and Tehran agreed on a rough timetable for addressing lingering questions about Iran's nuclear activities.

Iran says it wants to enrich uranium only to generate electricity, not make atom bombs as the West suspects. U.N. inspectors remain unable to certify Iran has no secret military nuclear facility, but found no proof of one.

India's ties with its old friend Iran remain a source of concern to U.S. officials and US Congressmen who have publicly urged New Delhi several times in the past to distance itself from Tehran and not push projects such as an ambitious Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline as Washington accuses Iran of pursuing a covert nuclear weapons program.

The pipeline project, which aims to feed the growing energy needs of the subcontinent, has made slow progress due to political tensions between India and Pakistan and differences between New Delhi and Tehran over the latter's controversial nuclear programme.

ANI