Pakistan: Iran’s gas project is our need today

Pakistan’s oil minister stressed on the country’s demand from the US to receive sanctions relief and added: Islamabad’s position is clear and we are only expressing our desire towards the gas transfer project from the Islamic Republic of Iran. We do not, but we need this project.

Mosadeq Malek said during an interview on Pakistan Geo News about issues related to the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline: We are sincerely trying to advance this project and we have conveyed this commitment to our Iranian brothers many times.

In response to America’s stonewalling in the way of implementing the joint gas project with Iran, he said: Pakistan will definitely continue its contacts with the American side regarding Iran’s sanctions exemption.

Pakistan’s oil minister added: Since Iraq, Turkey, or the Republic of Azerbaijan are able to benefit from the sanctions exemption, then Pakistan should also be able to benefit from this privilege to implement the Iranian gas pipeline.

According to him, he added that American sanctions may be imposed on Pakistan in 5 ways, which include currency exchange with Iran, cooperation with the main companies related to Iran’s gas export, and direct connection to the country’s gas infrastructure. We are in communication about how we can import Iranian gas to Pakistan without being affected by sanctions.

Pakistan’s oil minister emphasized: We will definitely try to get an exemption from sanctions from America and at the same time we assure our brother country Iran that Pakistan is committed to the gas project and wants to invest in it.

According to this report, the spokesperson of the US Foreign Ministry continued to stonewall his country in the path of cooperation between Tehran and Islamabad and announced that Washington does not support the continuation of the plan to build a gas transmission pipeline between Iran and Pakistan.

At the same time, he clarified: We always warn everyone that doing business with Iran entails the risk of dealing with US sanctions, and we advise everyone to carefully examine this issue.

Last week, during his weekly press conference in Islamabad, the spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan, in response to the question of an IRNA reporter, said: Pakistan is committed to the implementation of the joint gas project in accordance with the spirit of the bilateral agreement with the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Source: IRNA