Ambassador was stating his personal views on India policy on Iran

The State Department said Wednesday the &to=http://english.pravda.ru/world/2001/11/19/21291.html' target=_blank>U.S. ambassador to India was expressing his own opinion in predicting the demise of the U.S.-India nuclear agreement if that country backs Iran at next week's meeting of the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency.

Ambassador David Mulford said in New Delhi that if &to=http://english.pravda.ru/world/20/91/366/15273_alliance.html' target=_blank>India supports Iran, the U.S. Congress would "simply stop considering" legislation called for under the bilateral agreement reached last July.

At issue is India's stand on a proposal in the International Atomic Energy Agency to refer the impasse over Iran's nuclear program to the U.N. Security Council.

State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Mulford was reflecting the "the very strongly held feelings" in Congress about the Iran issue.