The United States threatened sanctions against Pakistan as the South Asian nation pressed ahead with a gas pipeline project with Iran.
“As I said, if this project actually goes forward, we have serious concerns that sanctions will be triggered,” State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters at a regular news briefing.
“We’ve been straight up with the Pakistanis about these concerns,” she added.
Despite Washington’s strong opposition, Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his Pakistani counterpart Asif Ali Zardari inaugurated on Monday the 7.5-billion-U.S.-dollar project in Iran’ s southeastern city of Chabahar, as Ahmadinejad said the West “has no right to obstruct” the project which will link Iran’s gas pipeline to that of Pakistan.
Washington and its allies expanded their sanctions last year to target Iran’s oil exports in their efforts to force the Islamic republic to stop its uranium enrichment activities, which are suspected of being used to make nuclear weapons.
“As we’ve talked about here before, what the legislation calls for is for our partner countries to be making a concerted effort to reduce their dependence on Iranian oil over time so we are able to waive sanctions as we see reductions being made,” Nuland said.
She said Washington is supporting “large scale” energy projects in Pakistan that will add some 900 megawatts to the power grid by the end of 2013, fueling an additional 2 million households.
Pakistan Zindabad!! We shall survive without their puny amount!! US can spent $ 4 BILLION A WEEK!! in Afghanistan and offer us less than 2 Billion in a year!!!! Keep the peanuts to yourself!!
there is no mega project by us in pakistan up to know ………us make civil nuclear deal with india ………..pakistan lost $69 b on war on terror & suffering with energe crises electricty and gas etc………………..
Kubrray noun latt hi raas aaiy gee!good for us!
Yousuf Mughal, why should the US come up with a project in Pakistan? Why would Pakistan not build one on it’s own? US made a deal with India considering it’s track record. Pakistan has been illegally selling it to Iran, north Korea, etc. Any breakup of $ 69b or is it notional figure?
"900 megawatts by the end of 2013"
too little too late
If US imposes sanctions on Pakistan, then US foces must not be allowed to withdraw from Afghanistan through Pakistani routes. If Pakistan will suffer losses because of sanctions, US will also suffer losses because of huge additional Logistics costs through alternate routes. Also, Pakistan should immediately withdraw it support to US in war against Taliban in case of sanctions. Pakistan has historically faced such sanctions in past also at the time of atomic bomb making and testing during Bhtto, Zia ul Haq and Nawaz Sharif regimes.
You are not able to fathom the extent of damage it will cause to Pakistan. This matter is entirely different when Pakistan conducted nuclear explosion. US was with Pakistan then. Today, it doesn't trust it. If Pakistan joins the Shia group (Iran, Iraq, Bahrain, Syria), then there would be opposition from the Saudi camp too. If Pakistan blocks US supply routes permanently, there may be fragmentation of Pakistan to carve out Balochistan as an independent country. So this project is a non starter; an election stunt.
Dreaming about baluchistan. Look at your back yard 27 freedom struggels are going on right now in endia. big media don't report it right, doesn't mean its not happening. Kashmir will be freed first from endians then rest of 26 countries. For your information there has been sanctions on Pakistan Since 1991-2001. We were better off without this so called Aid. Don't worry about us clean worry about Asam, Nagaland, Gujrat, Haiderabad, and yes don't worry about Kashmir any more.
USA is in a position to impose sanctions on Pakistan, however, any such move will be counter productive to strategic interests of USA. Without American aid and with rampant corruption Pakistan's survival will be at stake. Consequences of failure of a nuclear armed country with extremists and terrorists around trying to grab power will be beyond imagination to stability and peace in this region. I am sure that US will not take such a risk. This empty rhetoric shows the failure of US policies in this region.
this project will get dumped into dust by the US boot-licking bureaucracy sitting in Islamabad and its red-tape tactics. These babus, as soon as they pass the CSS exam after walking 8 kms to their village schools, turn themselves into "Brown sahibs" and start licking boots of the Americans. This is all fake. There will be no pipeline.
Dont blame the babus only, the Feudal Politicians and Military Elite also lick the boots of Uncle Sham.
Pakistan Zindabad!! We shall survive without their puny amount!! US can spent $ 4 BILLION A WEEK!! in Afghanistan and offer us less than 2 Billion in a year!!!! Keep the peanuts to yourself!!
there is no mega project by us in pakistan up to know ………us make civil nuclear deal with india ………..pakistan lost $69 b on war on terror & suffering with energe crises electricty and gas etc………………..
Kubrray noun latt hi raas aaiy gee!good for us!
Muj pey ek ehsan kerna, key mujh pey koi ehsan na kerna. Please impose sanctions on us. Without sanctions we have lost 80 B. and please do not impose any sanctions on Endia for importing iranian oil in the name of Un resolutions.
Yousuf Mughal, why should the US come up with a project in Pakistan? Why would Pakistan not build one on it's own? US made a deal with India considering it's track record. Pakistan has been illegally selling it to Iran, north Korea, etc. Any breakup of $ 69b or is it notional figure?
The Shia Sunni conflicts should allow for the completion of the pipeline.
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