WASHINGTON, July 29: The US government will impose sanctions on two Indian firms for selling missile parts to Iran, government officials said.

Some officials also acknowledged that the secret decision should have been shared with the House before it voted this week to support US plans to sell nuclear technology to New Delhi, the Washington Post reported.

A report published in Dawn on July 26 quoted a US State Department as acknowledging that it has delayed sending a report to the Congress which showed that two Indian firms had helped Iran build its nuclear programme.

Analysts say that since the report shows a connection between India and Iran’s missile programme, the US administration delayed it to ensure a smooth passage for a proposed nuclear deal with India.

On Wednesday, the US House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to approve a deal, which will permit sales of US nuclear fuel and reactors to New Delhi for the first time in 30 years.

It is not the first time Indian companies have been sanctioned for supplying Iran’s suspected weapons programmes. But the timing of the sanctions, which were not revealed before the vote, elicited angry responses from Democrats and arms-control experts on Friday.

Last year, at the height of the US-India negotiations, two other Indian companies were sanctioned for supplying material to Iran’s suspected chemical weapons programme. The companies have protested but remain on a sanctions list in the Federal Register.