Seeking to make common cause with Iran in dealing with Afghan situation, India stressed the need to avoid the return of “fundamentalist and extremist groups. While addressing the delegates participating in the strategic dialogue on “India and Iran: An enduring relationship,” foreign secretary Nirupama Rao said, “We need to move

beyond mere articulation of positions as the Afghan conundrum deepens and could have a deleterious impact on our two countries and the region in case the forces of extremism and obscurantism are made arbiters of the fate of the Afghan people. Our cooperation and information sharing on counter-terrorism must be the subject of more intensive focus and attention in the future.”
The secretary welcomed the Iranian government and private sector to fully realise the potential of the Chabahar port project and the international north-south corridor project, which also includes Russia and the Central Asian Republics in addition to India and Iran.
She spoke about the need for jointly making accelerated efforts on the Chabahar port project, which according to her should be seen not only as commercial but also as strategic in nature, not just for India, but also for all the countries in the region.
Linking the Iranian port to the Zaranj-Delaram highway built with Indian assistance in Afghanistan will help India transport its goods, including humanitarian supplies, to Afghanistan, Central Asia and beyond.
Referring to the India-Pakistan-Iran gas pipeline project, Ms Rao said India has repeatedly made clear the fact that accessing energy resources from all parts of the world is absolutely critical to the continued growth of its economy and Iran has the potential to play an important role in this regard.
“I would argue that the India-Iran relationship will become even more important with the inevitable rise of both India and Iran in this century, which has been dubbed by many as the Asian century,” she noted, maintaining that the India-Iran relationship was good for the region and for the world as a whole.

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India differs on unilateral US sanctions
AGE CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI

July 5: India on Monday voiced its concerns about the unilateral sanctions imposed by the United States on Iran.
“We are justifiably concerned that the extra-territorial nature of certain unilateral sanctions recently imposed by individual countries, with their restrictions on investment by third countries in Iran’s energy sector, can have a direct and adverse impact on Indian companies and more importantly, on our energy security and our attempts to meet the development needs of our people,” foreign secretary Nirupama Rao said here.
After the United Nations, the US has imposed a new set of stiff sanctions on Iran. Last week, US President Barack Obama signed a bill which aims to cut off Iran’s access to refined petroleum imports, including gasoline and jet fuel and bans US banks from doing business with foreign banks that provide services to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.
Ms Rao said the IAEA continues to provide the best framework for addressing technical issues related to the Iranian nuclear programme.