WASHINGTON: The US warned against doing business with Tehran on Tuesday, stating that it does not support the concept of a gas pipeline connecting Iran and Pakistan.
Musadik Malik, the petroleum minister, had stated the day before that Islamabad will ask to have the gas pipeline project free from US sanctions.
The long-term Pakistan-Iran gas pipeline project, which runs between Islamabad and Tehran, has been beset by finance issues and delays for a number of years. A US State Department official told reporters during a press briefing, “We always advise everyone that doing business with Iran runs the risk of touching upon and coming in contact with our sanctions, and would advise everyone to consider that very carefully.”
The spokeswoman continued, “We do not support this pipeline going forward,” citing remarks made last week to a congressional subcommittee by Donald Lu, the top State Department official for South and Central Asia.
