US Opposes Iran-Pakistan Gas Pipeline Project

Irani workers weld the pipeline during a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the inauguration of the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline, in the city of Chabahar in southeastern Iran March 11, 2013.
Irani workers weld the pipeline during a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the inauguration of the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline, in the city of Chabahar in southeastern Iran March 11, 2013.

A senior US official said Washington is against the construction of the planned Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline, warning it would result in US sanctions.

“I fully support the efforts by the US government to prevent this pipeline from happening … We are working toward that goal,” the Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Donald Lu told a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee of the House of Representatives on Wednesday.

Stressing the need to implement Tehran sanctions, Lu confirmed that the US has been in consultation with Pakistan over the project. “Washington has not received any request from Islamabad regarding sanctions relief, so our efforts to stop Pakistan from Iran’s gas project will continue,” he added.

Iran and Pakistan have recently aimed to revive the gas pipeline project, commonly known as the Peace Pipeline or IP Gas, that has been languishing for more than a decade.

Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch told IRNA, Iranian state news agency, that Islamabad remains committed to the project.

Despite resistance from Western partners, Pakistan has made progress in advancing the project. The initial phase, covering 80 kilometers from Gwadar to the Iranian border, has received government approval and funding.

Last week, Mohsen Khojasteh-Mehr, the CEO of Iran’s National Iranian Oil Company, announced that the negotiations between Tehran and Islamabad are underway regarding the export of Iranian gas to its eastern neighbor. he said, “The will of the two countries is to implement this project,”.