US warns Pak of sanctions over Iran gas pipeline deal

The officials said US Special Envoy for International Energy Affairs,Ambassador Carlos Pascual,“advised” Islamabad to abandon its plans to import gas from Iran. He proposed instead that Pakistan should pursue the TAPI gas pipeline with Turkmenistan,Afghanistan and India.

“The proposed Iran-Pakistan (I-P) pipeline,if built,could raise concerns under the Iran Sanctions Act. We are encouraging Pakistan to seek alternatives,” said a US Embassy spokesperson.

Asked about US opposition to the Iran-Pakistan pipeline project at a weekly news briefing on Thursday,the Pakistani Foreign Office spokesperson Tehmina Janjua said the project was in Pakistan’s interest as the country is facing an energy crisis. “It is the decision of the government of Pakistan to continue this cooperative project with Iran to ensure that energy is provided to the people as required,” she said.

The renewed opposition from the US to the Iran-Pakistan pipeline came just days after high-level talks between Tehran and Islamabad on the project.

Last week,Pakistan and Iran agreed to speed up the pipeline project. The two sides said they intend to go ahead with the project that would bring its first gas flow by 2014.

An unnamed senior Pakistani official said that despite opposition from the US,Islamabad would not abandon the pipeline project as an agreement had already been signed with Tehran.

The two-day Pakistan-US talks on energy ended without any significant developments despite initial high hopes,The Express Tribune reported.