Iran pitches extending pipeline to India via Pakistan

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Iran has made a pitch for the extension of gas pipeline with Pakistan to India with its visiting Supreme National Security Council Chief Saeed Jalili to India saying that Tehran had the “best capacity” to provide security for the pipeline, Indian media reported on Saturday. Jalili, Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator was on a three-day visit to India during which he met his Indian counterpart Shivshankar Menon. Apart from Iran’s nuclear power programme, the two sides also discussed regional issues like terrorism and the situation in Afghanistan as Kabul pushes for its controversial peace process roadmap with the Taliban. India has repeatedly cited security as one of the concerns for not joining the pipeline known earlier as IPI (Iran-Pakistan-India) pipeline. Tehran has left open the option of India joining later. “Iran has the second largest gas reserves in the world and we will welcome any step which can be used for the benefit of people,” said Jalili. He was replying to a question whether Tehran was still trying to convince India to allow the pipeline to be extended from Pakistan to India. “Just like the way it has handled piracy in the Persian Gulf, Iran has the best capacity to provide security also,” he added when asked about the pipeline.