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Journalism of Courage
Having made a considered decision last week in Vienna to ask Tehran to abide by its nuclear obligations, India should not allow Iran8217;s brinkmanship to force second thoughts. Nor should India overreact to the threat of energy blackmail. As a major power, India needs to demonstrate its political will to stay the course. That the Iranians were twisting India8217;s arms on the eve of the vote at the IAEA was well known. The prospect of Iran being upset and reacting negatively was also factored into the Indian decision. Responding to Tehran8217;s statements that it might downgrade economic ties with countries that have voted for the resolution at the IAEA as well as Indian media reports that Iran might cut off energy contracts with Delhi, the Foreign Office has rightly underlined that cooperation between the two countries is of mutual benefit; it is not a favour from one to the other.
As a sovereign nation, Iran is free to choose any response to India8217;s action at the IAEA. Contrary to the propaganda from a section of the Left that the denial of Iranian cooperation will undermine India8217;s energy security, Delhi has many alternative options. The Left might not understand the geopolitics of energy, but Iran surely does. Despite the current high oil prices, the natural gas market is a buyer8217;s one. If Iran chooses to back out of the proposed long-term contract to supply natural gas, which the two countries signed in June, there will be other suppliers eager to step in.
