UPA gives no assurance to left on Iran

NEW DELHI, Oct. 5 (UPI) -- The United Progressive Alliance government said it will not make any prior commitment to its communist allies on the Iran issue.

New Delhi said Tuesday its vote at the upcoming board meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency on November 5 will depend on Tehran's flexibility to address the concerns of the nuclear watchdog.

"India's present assessment is based on the IAEA report that Iran has been working to clandestinely acquire nuclear weapons capability and that Tehran had kept New Delhi in the dark on the issue," said a foreign ministry official.

"The use of uranium hexaflouride is for no other purpose except for enrichment that is needed for weapons capability," said a senior government official.

The left parties, who lend considerable support to the UPA government, have asked the government to reconsider its decision to vote against Iran. They argued that Iran is not a fit case to be referred to the United Nations Security Council.

"The UPA government is unlikely to give in. India's concern over Iran is also sensitized by the involvement of Pakistan's A. Q. Khan in Tehran's nuclear pursuit," said a source in the Interior Ministry.

He said India's game plan is to buy more space for nuclear diplomacy between Iran and the European Union-3, which include France, Germany and Great Britain, so that Tehran's nuclear program will not go to the Security Council.