US asks India to rein in Iran, Left fumes

Washington would also encourage New Delhi to ask Iran to “become a more responsible actor on the world stage” by ending its “rather unhelpful activities” regarding Iraq and support for terrorism, State Department Deputy Spokesman Tom Casey told reporters.

Casey however said it was up to India to decide how to “manage” its bilateral ties with Iran.

The American official made these observations when he was asked if Washington has any concerns about the Indian invitation to Ahmadinejad to visit the country next week and if the Bush Administration had sent a message to New Delhi about the meetings.

“It’s up to every country to determine for itself how it’s going to organise its bilateral relations. Many countries, including some of our strong allies in Europe, have diplomatic relations with Iran. And it’s up to them to determine how best to manage them,” Casey said.

But, he added, “We would hope that the Indian government, or any government that was engaging with the Iranians, including with President Ahmadinejad, would call on him to meet the requirements that the Security Council and the international community has placed on him in terms of suspending their uranium enrichment activities and complying with other requirements regarding their nuclear programme”.