NEW DELHI: The United States said that it would not undermine India's security and that the country's continued use of Iranian oil despite pending sanctions, is not causing a rift between the countries. US Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman, in New Delhi on Monday, said “media reports” arguing there were problems in the India-US relationship were wrong. “Let me correct the record,” she said, noting that the two countries share “fundamental goals” over Iran including regional stability and preventing Iran from getting nuclear weapons. While hinting that Washington's sanctions regime against Iran would not pose a problem to the Indian economy, Sherman also spoke of “hard decisions” that would have to be made about relations with Tehran. The US understood India's ties with Iran and its importance as a “gateway” to Central Asia, she said, while stressing the legitimacy of international concerns about Iran's actions. Sherman is the number three US state department official. The IAEA and the West have expressed concern that Iran is pursuing a nuclear program in violation of its Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty obligations. India and the US have voted four times at the IAEA against Iran, noted Sherman. Sherman described the Indo-US relationship as “substantive,” saying there was a clear convergence of strategic interests between the two countries “in every area.” Differences, she said, were only “tactical.” Sherman admitted there was some “drift” in their ties. But on many fronts it was moving forward. Bilateral trade is likely to cross $100 billion this year and the two nations could not afford to not be ambitious on defense cooperation. She also promised that “India can rely on the US to be a partner in finding tech solutions to India's problems.”
