“Bush has made a bold strategic move, but it is one that could fatally undermine an already weakened anti-nuclear regime,” the Daily Telegraph newspaper said.

In an editorial titled ‘India in from the cold’, the Telegraph observed that the dangers are twofold: First, the deal could intensify the arms race with Pakistan and China.

Second, the non-proliferation exemption agreed for India will make it more difficult to check the nuclear ambitions of states like Iran.

The Guardian daily noted the deal opened the way for a USD 14 billion investment in new Indian reactors and nuclear plants over the next year alone.

“The deal has wider strategic significance, bolstering US-India ties at a time of rising Chinese influence,” it said.

The newspaper said “the India deal is certain to encourage Tehran, for example, in its claims that the west is applying a double standard by penalising what it claims is a similarly peaceful civilian nuclear power generation programme.”

After more than three years of tortuous and fractious domestic politics of India, the Indo-US deal secured the approval of the US Congress when the Senate overwhelmingly voted a bill rejecting all the killer amendments, paving the way for its implementation.