WASHINGTON, D.C. – Representative Edward J. Markey (D-MA), founder and co-chairman of the House Bipartisan Task Force on Nonproliferation, released the following statement on the conclusion of the current round of U.S.-India negotiations on an agreement for nuclear cooperation:“It appears that India has been trying to secure even greater advantages than were allowed by the Hyde Act that Congress passed just last year. But the Hyde Act is the law, and its conditions and restrictions on nuclear trade with India are not advisory opinions but rules by which the President and the Indians must abide. India must understand that the legal boundaries established by the Congress for nuclear cooperation cannot be overstepped during negotiations between the two Executives.

“The United States and India are great friends, and our alliance will only grow stronger in the coming years. However, many in Congress have been very disappointed that India has continued to deepen its relations with Iran, even as that country has raced forward with its nuclear program in defiance of repeated UN Security Council resolutions.

“A year ago, the United States had to sanction two Indian corporations for supplying Iran with WMD-related items. Only months ago, India and Iran created a Joint Defense Working Group, formalizing their relations and cooperation in the military sphere. And now an Indian-government controlled consortium has announced the discovery of a major oil and gas field in Iran, less than sixty miles from the nuclear reactor construction site in Busheir.

“India is not only getting chummier with Iran, but it looks like New Delhi is actively courting Tehran. Their growing relationship is making a lot folks in Congress increasingly skeptical about the long-term viability of this nuclear deal.”