Not only Iran, this country too had found India not fulfilling its promise

New Delhi, July 11: Days after accusing India of surrendering under Washington's pressure to curb its oil trade with Tehran, Iran hit out at New Delhi once again on Tuesday, July 10, saying it will no more grant "special privileges" to the latter if it tried to replace Iranian crude with that from Saudi Arabia, Russia and the US.

According to a report in Hindu, senior Iranian diplomat Massoud Rezvanian Rahaghi said at an event organised in New Delhi by the All India Minorities Front at the Parliament annexe that Tehran stood by New Delhi on issues pertaining to energy and connectivity but alleged that India's investment promises in the crucial Chabahar Port in Iran have not been fulfilled.

"In previous round of U.S. sanctions between 2012 to 2015, Iran did its best to ensure security of oil supply to India. ...However, if India were to replace Iran with countries like Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, U.S. and others for the 10% of its oil demand then it may have to revert to dollar-denominated imports which mean higher CAD and deprivation of all other privileges Iran has offered to India," the report quoted Rahaghi as saying.

Recently, Iran's Tehran Times slammed India, accusing it of bending under the Donald Trump administration's pressure to stop its oil transaction with Iran, saying the two other largest importers of Iran's oil - China and Turkey - did not do so despite the pressure on them as well.

Iran is, however, not the only country to have felt betrayed by the Indian leadership.

The Citizen carried a report on this in December 2016.

In May 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi went to Mongolia from China and told the landlocked nation to China's north and announced a credit like of $1 billion and assured the people there that New Delhi would always stand by Ulaanbaatar in various fields besides increasing exports to Mongolia.

The promise made by Modi, who was just then a year old in power and was perceived as an assertive leader by the world, boosted Mongolia, which is much dependent on China. It also followed a policy similar to landlocked Nepal down South by playing cards against its two huge neighbours, but with Moscow too becoming close with Beijing owing to international developments, it became tricky for an economically moderate Ulaanbaatar to make its own way between two massive neigbours.

The Indian pledge seemed key in such a situation with many even viewing it as New Delhi's counter move to enter China's 'backyard', something Beijing has been doing with ease in South Asia.

The promise of the $1 billion seemed to have made India a key player and Mongolia started believing that it has got a new friend and a third path away from either a pro-China or pro-Russia one.

When China warned Mongolia over Dalai Lama, India turned mute

According to the Citizen report, Mongolia saw the real impact November 2016. The Dalai Lama had gone to Mongolia, "perhaps encouraged by New Delhi" and China vehemently opposed this, even warning Ulaanbaatar against hosting the spiritual leader. Mongolia, thinking its new ally India would come to its rescue, did not care and Beijing imposed an unprecedented blockade on it, crippling its economy. Mongolia then turned to India expecting the credit line PM Modi had promised but to its utter dismay, it saw India turning a deaf ear to its plea.

"As a result, on December 21, Ulaanbaatar apologised abjectly to Beijing. Mongolian Foreign Minister Tsend Munkh-Orgil promised that the Dalai Lama will no longer be allowed to enter his country," the report added.

It was none else but China who then resumed talks over granting Mongolia a loan of $4.2 billion to save its economy from collapsing, the report added.

"Mongolia -- when squeezed by China to apologise for the Dalai Lama's visit and promise to never again invite him -- learned the hard way that India would neither come to its aid nor deliver on its promises," the Citizen report said.