Iran not just an energy supplier: Ansari

Iran not just an energy supplier: Ansari

News:

1. Former Vice-President Hamid Ansari highlighted the importance of India- Iran relations.

Important facts:

2.While highlighting the importance of relation between the two nations, he stress on following pointers:

• Iran ensures overland connectivity between Eurasia and India and it is not just an energy supplier.
• The government should take into consideration the “totality” of India’s ties with Iran.
• For India, Iran is a land power on the other side of Pakistan that provides with an alternative route to Afghanistan.
• Iran has borders with large number of countries that India could not access because of the barrier that Pakistan posed to India overland connectivity plans.
• India’s infrastructure-building activities in Afghanistan are done with the support from Iran.
• Iran has the port of Chabahar where India has invested because access to Afghanistan is crucial for India.
• During the war of 1971, the government of Shah was pro-Pakistan, but still India maintained ties with that government and that relationship helped India address energy security need.

3.Mr Ansari’s statement came in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s demand to cut down energy imports drastically from the country.

4. His statement came a day after Mr Trump’s envoy to the UN, Nikki Haley, said that India should adhere to the November 4 deadline and reduce energy import from Iran.
5. She said, Iran is a major threat to the world and Tehran’s violations of its nuclear commitments and alleged sponsorship of terrorism made it the “next North Korea”.
6. In an interview to TV channel, Ms Haley also called India to “rethink its relationship with Iran”.
7. The comments by Ms Haley appear to be a part of a concerted campaign by the U.S. to ensure that India, Iran’s second biggest oil importer after China, cut its oil trade.