ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has said that nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers will give impetus to efforts for completion of the multi-billion-dollar Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project which will go a long way in meeting the country’s growing energy needs.
“I think trade restrictions against Iran would be lifted, following an agreement between Iran and world powers,” Abbasi said while talking to media persons.
The minister said that the present situation seems appropriate for carrying out the proposed Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project, following a deal on Tehran’s nuclear programme between Iran and world powers
“Pakistan had intensified its efforts to materialize the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project,” Abbasi said.
Abbasi said that he is scheduled to hold a meeting with his Iranian counterpart next month.
The minister added that work on Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) project is going on smoothly.
On the other hand, the US State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki said in a news briefing that the US opposition to the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project continues to exist, irrespective of the fact that a historic nuclear deal with Tehran was reached last week.
“Just as a reminder, there is very limited reversible relief that’s a part of the first step. That does not impact the core sanctions regime, so our position on that has not changed,” Psaki said in reply to a question that if the deal with Iran also changed US’s position on the project.
On November 24, Iran with the US and five other world powers including Russia, China, UK, France and Germany struck a historic nuclear deal in the Swiss city of Geneva to pave the way for the full resolution of the decade-old dispute over its nuclear energy program.
As part of the deal which would last for the six-month period only, the world powers agreed to lift some of the existing sanctions against Iran, in exchange for Tehran’s confidence-building bid to limit certain aspects of its nuclear activities.
