US pressure on Modi's foreign policy

3 July 2018

Press release

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's so-called aggressive foreign policy is once again ready to surrender the political sovereignty of the country to American imperialism. After breaking the nuclear treaty with Iran the American President Donald Trump has told all countries of the world that they should completely stop importing oil from Iran until November 4. Nikki Haley, the visiting representative of the United States in the United Nations, has given the same message to the Prime Minister of India in stern words. She has said that India should rethink its relations with Iran, because America considers Iran a threat to world peace. Haley  said that Iran is going to prove next North Korea. However, in reality the US has recently made an agreement with North Korea with a great fanfare. Due to the engagement of the US representative in connection with the same deal, the India-US dialogue on July 7 has been canceled.

The explanation of Ravish Kumar, spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, did not have any special effect on Nikki. Ravish has said that relations between India and Iran are very old. India is the largest importer country of hydrocarbons from Iran. Indian Oil wanted to buy 7 million tons of crude oil from Iran by March next. In May, India imported 771,000 barrels of oil per day from Iran. The biggest difficulty after the US pressure would be the cash payment. It is not clear how India will pay for the import of crude oil of $ 10 billion. India's oil companies have prepared a flexible plan for the payment along with making payment to Iran in certain items. These items include things like wheat and medicines.

Here the real question arises. Is India's tilt under American pressure not a challenge to its political and economic sovereignty? The ruling class of India and the advocates of capitalism world over do not exhaust stating India as a fast emerging superpower. The Socialist Party wants to ask if the superpower India has no right to decide who to befriend and whom to do business with? It seems that pomposity of 'aggressive' foreign policy of Modi is only to mislead the people of the country.

At the time when India had prepared to build a gas pipeline from Iran, the then Bush administration had forced India to enter into nuclear agreement and had pressurized her to break the gas agreement with Iran. Today, when India was dependent on Iran to meet its energy needs, then it is being forced to rely on Saudi Arabia and other countries. Meanwhile, under the pressure of the US, India continued to vote against Iran in the International Atomic Energy Agency. Yet Iran has continued to have friendship with India. The reason for this is that India has had a stable  Iran policy for a long time. Recently, Prime Minister Modi appeared to be growing in friendship with Iran. But it seems that under the American pressure, he is ready to overturn India's established Iran policy.

The Socialist Party would like to caution the citizens - if it happens, India's image as a sovereign nation will be weak in the world and its interests will be damaged. Therefore, the Socialist Party demands that the Modi-government should not sacrifice India's long-tested Iran policy under the American pressure.

Dr. Abhijit Vaidya

Spokesperson