Iran vote in spite of US: Sen

Sen, however, said US pressure actually made it harder for India to go through with a vote it always had intended to cast. India’s concern that it might appear to be buckling under US pressure was ‘‘a huge stumbling block in making the decision, which would have happened anyway’’.

‘‘The decision that we took was not because of what was said, at Congressional hearings or elsewhere—it was in spite of that,’’ Sen said. ‘‘No government can be seen to be acting under pressure. I think we did the right thing, but it becomes much more difficult if it is seen to be carried out under duress.’’

Sen was adamant when asked if US pressure made India consider withholding support. ‘‘Absolutely,’’ he said. ‘‘You don’t take even your closest friends for granted. … We don’t have a Pavlovian response: if some country does this, then we do that.’’

Sen also vigorously defended India’s need for energy. To become the economic power many expect it eventually to be, Sen said India must have enough energy to create employment to support a coming ‘‘demographic bulge’’. ‘‘We have to have some alternatives which are immediately available, and which are proven and which we are good at,” he said.

‘Israel will take out Iran’s nuke facilities if US does not’

WASHINGTON: If Washington and its allies do not stop Iran’s nuclear programmes by force if necessary, Israel will, three Israeli legislators visiting the US have warned. ‘‘Israel will not live under the threat of an Iranian nuclear bomb. We feel we are obliged to warn our friends that Israel should not be pushed into a situation where we see no other solution but to act unilaterally against Iran,’’ said Yosef Lapid, head of the Shinui party. ‘‘ PTI