The United States has reportedly opposed the Pakistan-Iran gas pipeline project, cautioning about the risk of sanctions for entities doing business with Tehran. This was conveyed by a State Department spokesman to the media on Tuesday.
"We make it clear to everyone that engaging in business with Iran carries the risk of triggering our sanctions. We advise utmost caution in such matters," the US official was quoted by the Dawn newspaper as saying. When specifically asked about the Pakistan-Iran pipeline, the official stated, "We do not support the completion of this project."
Last week, Pakistani Oil Minister Musadik Malik announced that his country would request a waiver from the United States to allow Pakistani companies to complete the pipeline without facing sanctions.
The project, officially named the "Mir" gas pipeline, was agreed upon between Pakistan's Interstate Gas Systems and Iran's Iranian Gas Company in 2009. While the Iranian section is complete, the Pakistani segment remains unfinished, with its deadline having passed in 2015.
In August 2023, Islamabad formally notified Tehran of its inability to fulfill its commitments due to US sanctions, invoking the force majeure clause. This decision was met with opposition from Iran, which threatened to pursue $18 billion in international arbitration for Pakistan's failure to uphold its end of the agreement.
However, in late February, Pakistan's interim federal government decided to resume work on the Pakistani section of the pipeline, aiming to complete the 800-kilometer stretch within a year.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: btr/Creative Commons 2.5
Based on materials from TASS