Pompeo arrives India amid Trump warning of overwhelming US retaliation to Iran
New Delhi, Jun 25 (UNI): US Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo arrived here on a three day crucial meeting with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.
The visiting dignitary will also call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Terrorism, Afghanistan-related issues, Iran-US conflict, trade issues between India and the United States, Indo Pacific Region and other matters will figure at the US Secretary of State Pompeo's parleys with External Affairs Minister Dr Jaishankar in Delhi on Wednesday.
During his visit to Gujarat to file nomination papers for Rajya Sabha elections, the External Affairs Minister said: "We will be meeting (Mr Pompeo) with a positive attitude."
"What I have seen is that in most of our conversations with the US, terrorism and cross border terrorism is an inescapable issue," a diplomatic source said here. "So, I expect this issue to be high on agenda."
In terms of Indian role on the ongoing Iran-US conflict, a source said: "Nobody has asked us to play any mediatory role and whatever is being done, we are doing at our own interest."
This is in reference to a role India could possibly play in urging both Iran and the US to 'de-escalate' tension in the region.
Mr Pompeo arrives India shortly after President Donald Trump on Tuesday warned Iran that any attack on “anything American” would be met with “great and overwhelming force”.
Iranian officials have slammed fresh US sanctions as permanently closing the path to diplomacy.
Iran’s leadership “doesn’t understand the words ‘nice’ or ‘compassion’, they never had,” Mr Trump said in a series of tweets.
On the eve of US Secretary of State Michael R Pompeo's India visit beginning Tuesday late evening, sources remain optimistic that there could be a 'US waiver' vis-a-vis Indian deal with the Russians for the defence system.
Sources said here that the long standing defence relations between India and Russia cannot be wished away.
"The S-400 is an issue that has been discussed. We know that this matter is of some concern to the US. I cannot deal much about the US position on the issue, but at the same time, India has a long standing defence relationship with Russia which we cannot wish away," a source said here.
A US State Department official said last week that the US "urged all of our allies and partners, India included, to forego transactions with Russia that risk triggering the CAATSA sanctions".
Image Credit: @MEAIndia on Twitter
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