As the stand-off between Iran and the West continues over its nuclear programme, the U.S. has said India should use its “influence” to convince the Iranian leadership to accept the “one of the most reasonable” and “perfectly plausible” proposals of low enrichment uranium.
In an interview to PTI, U.S. National Security Adviser James Jones said his country would appreciate anything that could make forward movement on the issue.
The statement assumes significance as outgoing IAEA chief Mohammed El Baradei has said the talks with Iran have reached the “dead end“.
“Of course,” Mr. Jones said when asked whether the U.S. wanted India to play a role in ending the deadlock over Iran’s nuclear programme considering that it enjoys good relations with Tehran.
Asked as to what kind of role India was expected to play, he said, “Very constructive role. To begin with, if India could be helpful in persuading Iran to accept the offer on the table for low enrichment uranium that is currently being negotiated with the IAEA.”
The U.S. has been pushing for a compromise that would require Iran to ship much of its uranium stockpile out of the country. The uranium would be processed into fuel that could be used for peaceful purposes. The proposal is acceptable to five other countries. They are UK, France, Russia, China and Germany.
