Oil imports from Iran reduced under US pressure: CPI(M)

The CPI(M) on Thursday claimed that oil imports from Iran were being "quietly" reduced in spite of government statements that India would continue to buy crude from that country, alleging that this was being done under American "pressure".

"Notwithstanding Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee's statement that India will continue to buy oil from Iran, quietly steps are being taken to reduce oil imports from Iran," senior CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury said.

He quoted figures to show that crude imports from Iran had fallen from 21.8 million tonnes in 2008-09 to 18.5 million tonnes in 2010-11 and 13.1 million tonnes in the current fiscal year, with the oil ministry giving "instructions to the state oil companies to explore other sources."

"As per US advice, India has already talked to Saudi Arabia for stepping up oil imports from that country. India is also quietly accepting the choking of India's exports to Iran," Yechury said in an editorial in the forthcoming issue of CPI(M) organ 'People's Democracy'.

"The United States wants India to fall in line with its consistent effort to isolate Iran and finally effect a regime change there. The pressure on India to stop buying oil from Iran and abandon its trade and economic ties is relentless," he said.

Referring to this and India's "volte face" on Syria, Yechury said India's foreign policy was "no more an independent policy based on enlightened national interests. It has become vulnerable to the imperialist pressures and geo -political interests of the USA."

Maintaining that the UPA government has "done a volte face on Syria", Yechury said while in October last year, India abstained on a resolution in the UN Security Council calling for more sanctions against Syria which was vetoed by Russia and China, "within three months, India did an about turn."

It voted in favour of a resolution sponsored by the Arab League which, in effect, would have legitimised a Libyan-style intervention. This resolution was nullified by the double veto again of Russia and China. But this time, India voted with the US, its NATO allies and its client Arab states, he said.

The "reversal" of India's stand taken in October 2011 "can be directly attributed to the pressure of the United States. This is also becoming apparent with regard to India's stand on Iran," Yechury said.

While US and former colonial rulers of Syria -- France and Britain, along with Saudi Arabia and Qatar "have embarked on a course to effect a regime change in Syria by toppling the Bashar al-Assad government", the Al Qaeda has also declared support for the rebellion given the fact that the Syrian government is the only secular regime within the Arab world today, the CPI(M) leader said.

"The hypocrisy of the West in condemning the authoritarian nature of the Syrian regime is manifest in its calculated use of the authoritarian Saudi and Gulf regimes to target Syria," he said.

Observing that the struggle in Syria was not a localised affair, Yechury said it was "part of the geo-political struggle directed against Iran and the perpetuation of the domination of the imperial powers over West Asia and the control of the oil resources there.... This would suit Israel's interests too."