India 123 Agreement: Stupid is stupid does

Indian protestations from some quarters that under the new nuclear technology sharing agreement with the United States that they only have to abide by the 123 agreement and not the Hyde Act enacted by both Congress and the U.S. Senate is wishful thinking and at complete odds with developing rhetoric.

Specifically, I refer to how quickly both parties to the agreement have engaged in public hyperbole in their own circles downplaying the extent of obligation that each has under the agreement and followed more recently by U.S. claims that India was not meeting its obligations fast enough. I can only surmise that an impending IAEA meeting on Iran must be close at hand. :)

I am of course alluding to both the 123 Agreement and the specific clauses in the U.S legislation that demands

"India’s full and active participation in United States efforts to dissuade, isolate, and, if necessary, sanction and contain Iran for its efforts to ...enrich uranium"

in direct contravention of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

Specifically, the NPT precludes "hampering the economic development of the Parties" and protects the

"inalienable right of all the Parties to the Treaty to develop research, production and use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes."

I know what you're going to say: "India is not a member of the NPT" and you'd be correct. Except that both the United States and Iran are. In this sense the 123 Agreement has allowed the U.S. to leverage sanctions against the Iranians by Indian proxy. Something, that they were expressly prohibited from doing under the NPT.

The U.S. gets to have a double laugh at India because it's partnership has been responsible for Iran raising the price of gas in retaliation under the joint India-Pakistan-Iran pipeline agreement to the point of being uneconomical. In that sense then, India has also offended and lost a key containment ally of India against Pakistan.

Oh.. and I hear that America says thanks for the heavy water shipments too.

Actually India, can you remind me again what exactly did you get out of this?