Describing Iran as a “recalcitrant and difficult” country, US Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns said all countries were lining up to impose sanctions on that country.

The UN Security Council had already imposed two rounds of sanctions and “we are considering third sanction resolution” against it. The State Department official, however, noted that there was nothing in the 123 agreement between India and the US to implement the bilateral civil nuclear deal that pertains directly to Iran.

The 123 agreement was concluded late last month and its text was released on Friday last. India will now have to negotiate a safeguards agreement with IAEA and approach the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) for change of rules to allow international community to have trade with it in the field.

Emphasising that the Indo-US civil nuclear deal would be “good for rest of the world”, Mr Burns said.