Strongly disfavouring any US military action against Iran, India on Friday said it did not want "another flashpoint" in its neighbourhood and hoped "good sense" will prevail, preventing the "precipitation" of the Tehran nuclear issue.
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said the row over Iran's nuclear programme should be resolved through dialogue and the ongoing talks between Tehran and the UN atomic watchdog IAEA should be allowed to reach the logical conclusion.
"India is always against any armed intervention by any country in another country," he said responding to a question in Bangkok about US threats to launch an attack against Iran.
"We do firmly believe that Iran has every right to pursue its nuclear programme for peaceful purposes," he said in the interaction after delivering a lecture on 'India's look east policy: Implications for Thailand and South East Asia'.
At the same time, Iran, as a signatory of NPT, has certain international obligations, he said. "The talks that are going on between IAEA and Iran should be allowed to reach the logical conclusion," he said, emphasising that the issue ought to be resolved through dialogue.
Noting that the Middle East hosts about five million Indians and is an important supplier of hydrocarbons to India, Mukherjee said development of "another flashpoint in our neighbourhood" would be a worrying factor.
{{/usCountry}}Noting that the Middle East hosts about five million Indians and is an important supplier of hydrocarbons to India, Mukherjee said development of "another flashpoint in our neighbourhood" would be a worrying factor.
{{/usCountry}}"We can advise, we can suggest," he said, adding "I do hope that good sense will prevail and there will be no precipitation of the crisis," the minister said.