Iran pipeline deal: Pakistan should avoid 'sanctionable activity', says US

State Department refuses to speculate whether Pakistan would be slapped with sanctions if the pipeline is built.

WASHINGTON: The US State Department said that it was in Pakistan’s interest to avoid any “sanctionable” activity, while commenting on the Pak-Iran gas pipeline deal on Wednesday.

State Department Acting Spokesperson Patrick Ventrell refused to speculate whether building the pipeline would result in Pakistan being slapped with sanctions, but said that the US recognises Pakistan’s energy requirements.

“We really think there are other long-term solutions to Pakistan’s energy needs, and so we’ve been assisting as a government to contribute to the alleviation of the energy crisis in Pakistan. And so we made it clear to our interlocutors, for instance, that it’s in their best interest to avoid any sanctionable activity,” he said.

Ventrell added that the State Department feels that the US provides a better way to Pakistan to meet its energy needs with the US assistance.

“We contribute to the alleviation of the energy crisis in Pakistan by supporting large-scale energy projects, including one that will add 900 megawatts to the power grid by 2013. That’s going to help supply electricity to an estimated two million Pakistanis. So we do have some bilateral assistance which we think is useful and helpful in that regard,” said the spokesperson.