Iran pipeline problems
The pipeline is just one of many Iranian agreements that have been affected by the return of neo-cons to Washington
Pakistan has asked Iran to clarify, in writing, its interpretation of the plethora of international sanctions it is slapped with so that a way forward could be found for the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline. Completion of the supply line has been delayed for ages due to shifting international policies towards Iran.
Recent reports suggest that Iran has told Pakistan that various sanctions, as they stand, do not apply to the gas pipeline project involving them both, but Pakistan is not so sure. Pakistan is already in America’s bad books, and it would appear that Pakistan is uninterested in being accused of sanctions-busting in collaboration with Iran.
It has also been reported that Iran is willing to provide its reasoning for why this would not be the case and that if Pakistan finds Iran’s arguments acceptable, it will move ahead with the project, which is already three years past its completion date that was proposed initially.
Although things appeared to have been ironed out during the tail end of the Obama’s presidency, especially after the Iran nuclear deal, the Trump administration’s violation of the deal and subsequent imposition of further sanctions threw a fresh spanner in the works.
The pipeline is just one of the many Iranian agreements that have been affected by the return of neo-cons to Washington. The failed Bush-era policies of John Bolton and Co have seen a revival under a president who knows little about the region and seems even less interested in learning more about it. It is also no coincidence that the incumbent US administration is very close to Iran’s regional rivals in Saudi Arabia.
The administration claimed, among other things, that violations of the nuclear deal were to blame, but could not pinpoint anything, while other signatories were quick to point out Iran’s compliance. Unfortunately, the head of the administration had long been faulting the deal on the basis of biased personal opinions, and not facts, and since his election, he has been taking disastrous decisions with global impact on the same basis.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 3rd, 2019.
Recent reports suggest that Iran has told Pakistan that various sanctions, as they stand, do not apply to the gas pipeline project involving them both, but Pakistan is not so sure. Pakistan is already in America’s bad books, and it would appear that Pakistan is uninterested in being accused of sanctions-busting in collaboration with Iran.
It has also been reported that Iran is willing to provide its reasoning for why this would not be the case and that if Pakistan finds Iran’s arguments acceptable, it will move ahead with the project, which is already three years past its completion date that was proposed initially.
Although things appeared to have been ironed out during the tail end of the Obama’s presidency, especially after the Iran nuclear deal, the Trump administration’s violation of the deal and subsequent imposition of further sanctions threw a fresh spanner in the works.
The pipeline is just one of the many Iranian agreements that have been affected by the return of neo-cons to Washington. The failed Bush-era policies of John Bolton and Co have seen a revival under a president who knows little about the region and seems even less interested in learning more about it. It is also no coincidence that the incumbent US administration is very close to Iran’s regional rivals in Saudi Arabia.
The administration claimed, among other things, that violations of the nuclear deal were to blame, but could not pinpoint anything, while other signatories were quick to point out Iran’s compliance. Unfortunately, the head of the administration had long been faulting the deal on the basis of biased personal opinions, and not facts, and since his election, he has been taking disastrous decisions with global impact on the same basis.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 3rd, 2019.