 NEW DELHI: As United Nations Security Council (UNSC) members draft fresh sanctions against Iran, Washington’s gaze has returned to the Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) gas pipeline and energy ties of Iran with Pakistan and India.
The Obama administration, which spearheaded the new round of sanctions against Tehran, is now “encouraging” India and Pakistan to stay away from projects like the gas pipeline even as it attempts to stop Iran from moving ahead with its nuclear programme.
At present, the Obama administration’s gaze is fixed more firmly on Pakistan, which officially entered into a $7.5-billion pipeline deal with Iran last month. US assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asian affairs Robert Blake said that Washington “has encouraged our friends in the government of Pakistan to try to seek alternatives.”
When asked whether the pipeline project had come up for discussion during his recent trip to Islamabad, Mr Blake said that he had told Pakistani officials that there were many challenges facing the pipeline project. “Nonetheless we have encouraged our friends in the government of Pakistan to try to seek alternatives... Our concerns about the government of Iran are very well known,” he added. He further said that this was not the time for any country to enter into such deal with Iran.
“And given its current unwillingness to address its international obligations and international concerns about its nuclear programme, we don’t think that this is the time for such transactions to be taking place with Iran,” he added.
The agreement between Pakistan and Iran also keeps the option of transporting gas for India through Pakistani territory if the pipeline eventually does extend to India. Though India has shown little enthusiasm in joining the pipeline project, the US unease clearly extends to India’s ties with Iran. Washington has continued to closely watch India’s ties with Iran and this was apparent even during the time the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal was going through the process in the US. On India, Mr Blake merely said that Washington does not want countries to enter into such deals with Tehran. “This is a very sensitive time in negotiations with Iran, and we would prefer all countries not to conduct such transactions with Iran at this time, for the reasons that I already outlined,’’ Mr Blake added.
UNSC members have agreed to start drafting a UN resolution slapping sanctions against Tehran which has refused to stop its nuclear programme. Even China has grudgingly backed the US move to impose sanctions on Iran. US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton recently said UNSC members "continue to be unified" in talks on sanctions. International unease about Iran’s nuclear programme increased with Tehran’s revelation last September that Tehran had been building a uranium enrichment plant near Qom. |
Post a Comment
Thank you for your valuable comments and opinion. Please have your comment on this post below.