India may vote against Iran

NEW DELHI, Jan. 31 (UPI) -- India will vote against Iran again at the International Atomic Energy Agency if called upon to make a choice.

"The writing was on the wall. While, India ideally, would want to be bailed out by a last minute compromise deal, it would not alter its pro-American, anti-Iran vote of Sept. 24 last year at the IAEA governing body meeting," The Hindu newspaper said Tuesday, quoting a top government source.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's decision to retain the foreign ministry department despite expanding his Cabinet on Sunday assumes significance in this connection.

"Whatever decisions are taken by the government are in conformity with our stated foreign policy and are also in the interests of India and the world," said newly appointed junior Indian Foreign Minister Anand Sharma.

He said the government had been talking to Russia and other countries involved to find a solution to the issue.

Sharma said there is no question of the Indian government sitting on a hot seat on the Iran issue.

"I was in a hot seat earlier too. But let me tell you there are no threats from the Left parties. Yes, they have their perception, and we will talk to them," Sharma said, referring to the Leftists' earlier warning on the Iran issue.

The Left parties in India are mounting pressure on the government to vote against a resolution seeking to refer Iran's nuclear program to the U.N. Security Council at the IAEA meeting in Vienna Feb. 2-3.