US Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday said India could help urge the new Iranian leadership to take advantage of the current global goodwill and not “miscalculate” international commitment to nuclear non-proliferation.
With the surprise win of centrist Hassan Rouhani in the presidential elections, there has been more softer language from Tehran on talks with the West and the need to improve ties, especially since nuclear programme-related sanctions were hitting the common man.
“We also believe that, hopefully, India, with its relationship, could help urge the new Iranian leadership as well as the old leadership and the Supreme Leader, to take advantage of this moment that they would recognise that we would call on them to urge the Iranians not to miscalculate, not to miscalculate about American and international commitment, I might add all international commitment. China, Russia, the UN Security Council, the UN itself have all set certain requirements that need to be adhered to,” Kerry told reporters here after his talks with External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid under the Strategic Dialogue.
He asserted that Iran should “prove to the world that its peaceful nuclear programme, as they say it is, is in fact peaceful.” Kerry also appreciated that India had “worked hard to reduce its dependency on Iranian oil”, terming it an “important step”. “So, we would hope India would help us so that Iranians do not put the world in a position where they are forced to take additional steps with respect to Iran,” he said. India has had to reduce its import of Iranian crude with international payment gateways.