India making right steps on Iran sanctions: Clinton

[1]

India is making steps in the right direction to impose sanctions on Iran but not enough progress has been made in persuading China to do so, according to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

"With respect to India, they are making steps that are heading in the right direction," she told a House panel Wednesday. But "I think that we have made progress - not enough, in my view - with respect to China."

"They (China) have actually worked with us to prevent certain businesses within China from continuing their trade," Clinton said.

"They have reached out to the Saudis and others to determine ways to make up their loss of oil if they cut what they receive from Iran."

"In fact, I think in a number of instances the actions of countries and their banks are better than the public statements that we sometimes hear them making," America's top diplomat said.

Besides India and China, "we're having very candid conversations with a number of countries to try to impress on them our seriousness about enforcing sanctions which will have very difficult consequences for them," she said.

In response to a question from a lawmaker, Clinton said as the proposed Pakistan-Iran pipeline could raise serious concerns under the Iran Sanctions Act, US has supported an alternative the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India pipeline.

The United States recognise that Pakistan has significant energy requirements under the Iran Sanctions Act, , she said. "We have made that absolutely clear. We have raised this issue with the government of Pakistan."

"We are encouraging it to seek alternatives," Clinton added. "And there is an alternative that we do strongly support, the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India pipeline.''