US wants Pakistan to drop Iran pipeline project

Washington, Jan 27 (ANI): The United States is working with Pakistan to help it deal with the consequences if it agrees to abandon the Iran pipeline project, the US State Department has said.

On being asked if the United States was urging Pakistan not to buy gas from Iran, State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland said: "Pakistan is one of the countries that we're working with, primarily from the US Embassy."

Earlier this month, US President Barack Obama signed into law new sanctions against Iran.

The measure, which Congress passed as part of the 2012 National Defence Authorisation Act, penalises foreign financial institutions that do business with Iran's central bank, as Pakistan will have to if it buys gas.

"We're talking to countries around the world about the implication of this legislation and our efforts to cut global dependence on Iran," The Dawn quoted Nuland, as saying.

On being asked if Washington was encouraging Pakistan to buy cheaper gas from US companies, she said: "I don't have anything specific on where those conversations are leading, but we are talking about all kinds of diversification."

Earlier in the day, the Pakistan foreign office had said that the gas pipeline project between it and Iran did not come under the sanctions imposed on Tehran because of its nuclear issue with the international community.

"Pakistan is committed to the Pak-Iran gas pipeline and sanctions do not cover this project," The Foreign Office Spokesman Abdul Basit said.

He said although Pakistan was studying the US legislation about sanctions on Iran, he insisted that the Pak-Iran gas pipeline project was not covered by them. (ANI)