US Tilting toward India?

There were two interesting stories today in the Times of India.

The first involved statements by Vice President Joe Biden that when the Obama administration possesses "actionable intelligence" it will attack al Qaeda targets in Pakistan. The story also confirmed that the Obama administration has decided to continue the Bush policy of allowing US forces in Afghanistan to attack relevant targets in Pakistan.

The second reported the message sent to India on Republic Day from President Obama. According to the report Obama's message noted:

As Indian people celebrate Republic Day, they should know that they have no better friend and partner than the people of the United States," Obama said. Obama, who calls India a natural ally of the US and seeks inspiration from Mahatma Gandhi, in a message said: "It is our shared values that form the bedrock of a robust relationship across people and governments. Those values and ideals provide the strength that enables us to meet any challenge, particularly from those who use violence to try to undermine our free and open societies."

Taken together, these two reports should add additional pressures on Pakistan to address the charges of the Pakistani origins for the Mumbai attack.

But there's a possible added benefit. If the Obama administration is serious about putting pressures on Iran, it will need Indian help. While Iran produces and exports crude petroleum, it is an importer of refined product and much of that comes from India. Indian companies are also involved in expanding Iranian refinery capacity. If India joined a full fledged international sanctions regime against Iran, the pressure on Tehran would be far more serious than what it's been facing during the Bush years.