The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Thursday described the Geneva Accord between Iran and six world powers as a ``diplomatic breakthrough’’ which has the potential of developing into a comprehensive settlement.
In its editorial for the next issue of the party organ People’s Democracy , the CPI(M) said the deal struck by Iran with the permanent members of the United Nations and Germany in Geneva last weekend was a major step forward despite criticism faced in the U.S. for the rapprochement with Teheran.
According to the editorial, the settlement of the nuclear issue with Iran would also be beneficial to India despite New Delhi acting ``against India’s own interests when it succumbed to the U.S. pressure and voted against Iran in the IAEA in September 2005, which enabled the matter to be taken up at the United Nations Security Council’’.
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With the U.S. moving for a rapprochement with Iran, ``India can only rue its shortsighted and craven stance’’, the editorial said, pointing out that the United Progressive Alliance had gone back on the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project and also halved Iranian oil imports under U.S. pressure of sanctions.