Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday refuted speculation about India "succumbing" to US pressure on the Iranian nuclear issue and said Tehran's nuclear weapon ambitions were not in New Delhi's interests.
"There is no question of succumbing to any external pressure in regard to our foreign policy," Manmohan Singh told a delegation of Muslim leaders headed by Syed Ahmed Bukhari, the Shahi Imam of Delhi's Jama Masjid.
"It is a fact that Iran had a clandestine nuclear programme for several years and it is not in our interest to have another nuclear weapon state in our neighbourhood," Manmohan Singh said in response to a question by a delegate on India's vote against Iran at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) last year.
The prime minister's response to the Iranian issue was released to the press by Sanjaya Baru, media adviser to the prime minister.
"Iran should have all the rights and duties of a signatory state to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)," Manmohan Singh said.
The prime minister also sought to appease the anxieties of some Muslim leaders about growing India-US relations, saying this improvement in ties was "in the interest of all citizens of India".
{{/usCountry}}The prime minister also sought to appease the anxieties of some Muslim leaders about growing India-US relations, saying this improvement in ties was "in the interest of all citizens of India".
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