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India should not buy an ounce of Iranian oil: Romney Campaign
Washington: Highly critical of Obama Administration's decision to exempt India and China from sanctions for importing Iranian oil, a senior defence advisor to Romney Campaign Thursday said that New Delhi should not buy even an ounce of oil from Iran.
"India is a good friend. It's an ally. We understand that India has a long relationship with Iran. But if India is still importing oil, it should stop. As simple as that," Dr Dov Zakheim, said during a breakfast meeting with Defence Writers Group.
"There are other ways to get the oil," Zakheim said when pointed out the huge energy needs that India has for its billion plus population.
India should look at other alternatives and should stop buying oil from Iran, he insisted.
"At the end of the day, it's not in India's interest for Iran to get nuclear weapon, even to think of getting a nuclear weapon, because all that would do is to get the Pakistanis, who do not like the Iranians as you know, build even more nuclear weapons," he said.
"So ultimately it is a huge danger for India. As friend of India... let me say I first came to Delhi in 1981... I can say that it is not in India's long term interest to buy one ounce of oil from this Iranian regime.
India currently imports about 8-9 per cent of its oil needs from Iran, a figure which has come down from a year ago figure of 12 per cent.
The US in June had extended exemptions from its tough, new sanctions on Iran's oil trade to seven countries including India.
"May if there were a different regime...I am not advocating regime change. We had a regime which was a peaceful regime... that's a different story but these guys are not peaceful," Zakheim said.
"Frankly, you don't know, actually you do know that they (Iranians) are playing games inside India as well. Who knows if they are even involved in Kashmir. These are bad guys and it is not in India's interest, not in Indian people's interest," he said.
"As you all know so much of these sanctions were initiated by the Congress over the dead body of this administration and you still have 20 countries that somehow are being let off the hook of sanctions.
"The argument is that the Chinese are buying somewhat less oil, therefor we will exempt the Chinese. What do you think, Iranians think when that happens? What message are you sending to some of the shrewdest diplomats in the world, who are the Iranians. Same thing with India," Zakheim said in response to a question.
"What Mr Romney said, 'I am closing the loopholes'. So he would start with that. The (Obama) Administration has not closed the loopholes. And it would not close the loopholes for the very simple reason that they just opened them a few months ago. Mr Romney says, 'no, nix it'," the Romney campaign advisor said.
The Week | India should not buy an ounce of Iranian oil: Romney Campaign
Why should this Romney or his guys dictate , what we do or what we should do?
Washington: Highly critical of Obama Administration's decision to exempt India and China from sanctions for importing Iranian oil, a senior defence advisor to Romney Campaign Thursday said that New Delhi should not buy even an ounce of oil from Iran.
"India is a good friend. It's an ally. We understand that India has a long relationship with Iran. But if India is still importing oil, it should stop. As simple as that," Dr Dov Zakheim, said during a breakfast meeting with Defence Writers Group.
"There are other ways to get the oil," Zakheim said when pointed out the huge energy needs that India has for its billion plus population.
India should look at other alternatives and should stop buying oil from Iran, he insisted.
"At the end of the day, it's not in India's interest for Iran to get nuclear weapon, even to think of getting a nuclear weapon, because all that would do is to get the Pakistanis, who do not like the Iranians as you know, build even more nuclear weapons," he said.
"So ultimately it is a huge danger for India. As friend of India... let me say I first came to Delhi in 1981... I can say that it is not in India's long term interest to buy one ounce of oil from this Iranian regime.
India currently imports about 8-9 per cent of its oil needs from Iran, a figure which has come down from a year ago figure of 12 per cent.
The US in June had extended exemptions from its tough, new sanctions on Iran's oil trade to seven countries including India.
"May if there were a different regime...I am not advocating regime change. We had a regime which was a peaceful regime... that's a different story but these guys are not peaceful," Zakheim said.
"Frankly, you don't know, actually you do know that they (Iranians) are playing games inside India as well. Who knows if they are even involved in Kashmir. These are bad guys and it is not in India's interest, not in Indian people's interest," he said.
"As you all know so much of these sanctions were initiated by the Congress over the dead body of this administration and you still have 20 countries that somehow are being let off the hook of sanctions.
"The argument is that the Chinese are buying somewhat less oil, therefor we will exempt the Chinese. What do you think, Iranians think when that happens? What message are you sending to some of the shrewdest diplomats in the world, who are the Iranians. Same thing with India," Zakheim said in response to a question.
"What Mr Romney said, 'I am closing the loopholes'. So he would start with that. The (Obama) Administration has not closed the loopholes. And it would not close the loopholes for the very simple reason that they just opened them a few months ago. Mr Romney says, 'no, nix it'," the Romney campaign advisor said.
The Week | India should not buy an ounce of Iranian oil: Romney Campaign
Why should this Romney or his guys dictate , what we do or what we should do?
Man he needs new foreign policy advisors.......
