IAEA/IRAN: U.S. RESPONSE DELIVERED

C O N F I D E N T I A L NEW DELHI 001509 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR ISN/RA (RNEPHEW),IO/T (HVONBEHREN) E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/22/2018 TAGS: KNNP MNUC PARM IAEA IR IN SUBJECT: IAEA/IRAN: U.S. RESPONSE DELIVERED REF: SECSTATE 57726 Classified By: Ambassador David Mulford for Reasons 1.4 (B and D) ¶1. (C) The Ambassador delivered reftel points and nonpaper to External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on May 30 on the margins of Mukherjee's meeting with Senators Feingold and Casey. Mukherjee welcomed the U.S. views but did not have a substantive response on the Indian intentions at the June 2-6 IAEA meetings. He reiterated the Indian position (septel) that Iran has the right to develop civil nuclear energy for peaceful purposes but it must fulfill its international obligations to be assessed by the IAEA with which Iran must cooperate. ¶2. (C) Poloff followed up June 3 with Director of the Ministry of External Affairs Disarmament and International Security Affairs (DISA) Division Gaddam Dharmendra. Dharmendra acknowledged that the latest IAEA report took a tougher stance than previous reports. He outlined that the Indian statement during the June Board of Governors will take a three-pronged approach that highlights the balance of Iran's right to peaceful nuclear energy and its obligation to respect the terms of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT); calls for "maintaining the momentum being developed by the Director General's reports"; and reiterates unanswered questions regarding the supply chain. Dharmendra explained that the second point regarding the "momentum" of the IAEA reports refers to the investigation regarding the alleged weapons studies. MULFORD