Iran is 'next' North Korea: Haley
New Delhi, June 28: Describing Iran as the "next North Korea", the US gave clear signals on Thursday that it would like India to stop oil imports from Tehran following Washington's tough sanctions to end its nuclear progarmme.
US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, here on a three-day visit and who met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, said in a speech on Thursday that just because countries (like India) have deals with Iran, it does not mean that they should be blind to the "violations" by Iran on the nuclear issue.
Replying to a question after her speech at a public function, she said the US believed that Iran was a threat and it cannot take its eyes of Iran.
"Iran, still with all of those incentives, has continued to violate resolution after resolution. They violated (by) building ballistic missiles, they violated by supporting terrorism, they violated by the fact that they are continuing to sell arms to..."
Haley said what President Trump did was "just because countries came to have deal (with Iran), doesn't mean we should be blind to these violations".
"And, what President Trump has said is we need to hold Iran to account....The US wants to be cautious but wants the international community to make sure they are paying attention to the violations. And what we are going to continue to do is to keep the pressure on them and we hope that other countries will join us because in our eyes Iran is the next North Korea," she said.
Asked about her discussions with Modi to find a common ground on the US sanctions and India's business with Iran, the US envoy said she did talk about this with him.
"We do have this in terms of our dialogue because I think that India also recognises the threats of Iran. We understand the logisitics becoming a play with Iran but we have to always make sure that the priority is peace and security.
"And, as long as the priority is peace and security, the US is going to continue to try and work with our partners, our friends and our allies to make sure that we are all pushing Iran to be a good, accountable international neighbour," she said.
Haley's comments assume significance in the context of US wanting India and China to stop oil imports and trade with Iran against the background of its tough sanctions on Teheran.
In her speech, Haley said Iran was a theocratic dictatorship that abuses its people, funds terrorism and spreads conflict throughout the Middle East.
"The Tehran regime is the hidden and sometimes not-so-hidden force behind most of the conflicts in the region and its agressive ambitions reach much further abroad. Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons threatens all of us."
She complimented India as a state with advanced nuclear technologies which was widely accepted around the world.
"Why is that? Because India is a democracy and continues to be a responsible leader. In the last couple of years, India is joining three major non-proliferation groupings. The US also fully supports India's membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group.
"India continues to demonstrate it is a responsible steward of its nuclear technology. The world is united against Iran having nuclear weapons because we all have good reasons to worry about what Iran will do with those weapons. India and America enjoy a natural friendship that is based on our shared values and interests. The Trump administration seeks to take the US-India relationship to the next level to build a strategic partnership rooted in our common values and directed towards our common interests," she said.
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Mamata visits Bhabanipur EVM strong room, warns against counting irregularities
Kolkata (PTI): West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee early Friday warned against any attempt to tamper with the counting process, hours after she visited an EVM strong room in Bhabanipur, alleging possible malpractice.
Banerjee, who emerged around 12:07 am after spending nearly four hours at the counting centre for her Bhabanipur constituency housed in Sakhawat Memorial School in south Kolkata, said only one person would be allowed inside the designated counting area.
"Either the candidate or one agent can stay upstairs. I have also suggested installation of a CCTV camera for the media," she told reporters.
Stressing the need for transparency, she said, "It is essential to maintain transparency. People’s votes must be protected. I rushed here after receiving complaints. The central forces initially did not allow me to enter."
Sounding a stern note ahead of the May 4 counting, she added, "If there is any plan to tamper with the counting process, it will not be tolerated."
On Thursday evening, Banerjee had reached the Bhabanipur Assembly segment counting centre, which houses the strong room for EVMs used in the April 29 polling, citing suspicion of tampering with the machines.
She entered the premises along with her election agent and remained inside for hours, even as Kolkata Mayor and TMC candidate from the Kolkata Port segment Firhad Hakim reached the spot but could not meet her.
"I reached here upon learning that the chief minister has arrived. But I couldn’t meet her since she was already inside the premises, exercising her right as a candidate to visit strong rooms. I wasn’t allowed there. I will not be able to confirm what exactly is transpiring inside," Hakim said.
The development coincided with protests by TMC candidates Kunal Ghosh and Shashi Panja outside the Khudiram Anushilan Kendra in north Kolkata, where they staged a sit-in alleging irregularities and possible tampering of EVMs stored in strong rooms, leading to face-offs between TMC and BJP supporters.
Earlier in a video message, Banerjee had urged party leaders, workers and polling agents to maintain a 24-hour vigil on EVM strong rooms, alleging that the BJP could attempt to tamper with the machines before counting begins.
Her remarks come amid heightened political tension in the state following a fiercely contested Assembly election, with parties closely monitoring arrangements and raising concerns over transparency.
