The government says Iran has the right to pursue a peaceful nuclear programme. But no one, not even the United States, is questioning this basic right of Iran. Much of recent international diplomacy has been about offering Iran a range of incentives on civilian nuclear energy cooperation, including on the controversial uranium enrichment programme.

The world is now asking a more important question: is Iran prepared to abide by the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty that it is a party to? On this the Foreign Office simply states that Iran “has undertaken certain obligations that its nuclear programme is exclusively for peaceful purposes”. It stops short of publicly asking Iran to implement its legal commitments.

The real issue, which has brought the UNSC into the picture is the one which the Foreign Office ducks. What happens if Iran does not abide by its obligations? The UNSC sanctions reflect the new unanimity within the international community that the time has come to apply pressure against Iran. India’s response to this significant change in the Iranian situation over the weekend is a prayer: address the problem through “peaceful means”.

The Foreign Office says it has ‘noted the passage of the UN Security Council resolution” and is “studying its implications”. One does not have to be rocket scientist to figure out that India has no option but to implement the sanctions, since they have been imposed under the mandatory Chapter VII of the UN Charter. Only fringe elements on the left and the right would urge India to defy the UN for the sake of Tehran.

... contd.