Dialogue with A.M.Asgarkhani

• Source: Global Times
• [10:51 November 13 2009]
• Comments

Global Times: From the Iran perspective, what does the US’s putting more importance on China stand for? What influence it will bring to China-Iran relations? Will Iran adjust its foreign policy according to the development of the current Sino-US relationship? If so, what is the adjustment?

Asgarkhani: I think the US, at least in the past five years or so, has tried to make an alliance with India against China. This is because of the rising Chinese power. A number of treaties have been discussed, negotiated, and some of them have been rectified by the US and India. For example, one of them is the agreement between the US and India on arms control and nuclear issues. India is not a member of the Treaty on the Non-proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), and it is against US law to have nuclear cooperation with India. That’s not only because India is not a member of the NPT, but also because the US has a law issued in 2000 about non-proliferation. So the US is not only infringing on international law, which is the NPT, but also its own law by making an alliance with India. It is also making an alliance with India against Iran as well. Iran and India agreed, or at least adhered to agree, upon some pipeline and gas cooperation, to supply gas from Iran to India. The US is opposed of this. They are trying to convince India that it is in the interests of India to get nuclear cooperation with the US than gas cooperation with Iran. That is why the US is gradually leaving Pakistan, and approaching India, to make further alliances with China.

In terms of Russia, if the EU gradually becomes a united state of European countries, Russia will gradually make a new alliance with the US, especially when it has close cooperation with India. So I think the US, Russia and India will have a future alliance against China and Korea. I would imagine the nuclear issue between North Korea and the US is not the issue. The issue between Korea and the US is due to the national aspiration of both South Korea and North Korea. They want to get united based on identity and culture, and if the two Koreas get united, there will be a united Korea not for the US, but for China. That is why the US and even Russia don’t want the two Koreas to get united. I think the rise of NATO and the spread of NATO countries to the east shows that the western countries, especially the US, would like to be present in this part of Asia, to monitor and inspect this part of the world.