September 20, 2007	Thursday	Ramazan 07, 1428

NEW DELHI, Sept19: The United States has asked India to come clean on its military ties with Iran, the Press Trust of India said on Wednesday.

The remarks by Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher have raised the hackles of the Left amid a growing rift between the ruling UPA coalition and the Communist parties on the Indo-US nuke deal. The US’s position on Indo-Iranian ties was spelt out by Mr Boucher when asked to comment on apprehensions voiced by senior US lawmakers on India’s military relations with Iran.

“I think that some of the fears are exaggerated. Some of the training it turns out to be cadet level; some of the exchanges don’t lead to a lot...But I think it’s more on the Indian side to try to explain exactly what is and what is not going on in its relations with Iran, as we are upfront in our relations with other countries like India,” Mr Boucher said at a meeting organised by the United States-India Business Alliance.

“I’m sure India can explain it better than we can what their relationships are and are not,” he said, adding that New Delhi had made it clear that it is not interested in seeing the emergence of another nuclear power in that neighbourhood.

“The Indian government is very well aware of the concerns of India’s military relationship with Iran. What we are trying to do is for everybody to understand the facts of the matter,” Mr Boucher added. Mr Boucher’s comments were reported as the CPI-M’s Politburo slammed US Ambassador to India, Mr David Mulford, for saying on Tuesday that there should be no delay in the finalisation of the Indo-US nuclear cooperation agreement.

“The UPA government should tell the country whether it plans to adhere to this time frame or examine the serious objections raised to the agreement and keep in mind the fact that the majority in parliament is against proceeding with the agreement,” the statement said.