Iran on Sunday expressed impatience with India over the finalising of a multibillion-dollar gas pipeline deal via Pakistan, warning that it could go ahead with Pakistan alone if India procrastinated. Caretaker Oil Minister Gholam Hossein Nozari said New Delhi and Islamabad were still in discussions over the payment of transit fees by India to Pakistan for Iranian gas from the so-called “peace pipeline”. He said Pakistani officials were certain to come to Iran next week for talks to finalise the project, but the attendance of Indian representatives was still unconfirmed. “Our preference is to have a tripartite negotiation. (But) the trend is moving faster with the Pakistanis,” Nozari told reporters. **“The Pakistanis and Indians are having discussions on the transit fees. If we believe that a serious delay has occurred with the Indians, we will go ahead with the Pakistanis.” **
Nozari did not elaborate over whether this could involve Iran signing the finalisation for the deal with Pakistan alone. The Iranian envoy to the pipeline project, Hojatollah Ghanimifar, said according to state media: “We have invited the Indians for these negotiations but so far their presence is not definite.” Discussions on the 7.4-billion-dollar project started in 1994, but have been held up by technical and commercial issues. There have also been strong objections to the pipeline from the United States – a key friend of Pakistan and an ever closer ally of India – which is at loggerheads with Iran over its contested nuclear programme. The 2,600-kilometre (1,600-mile) pipeline from Iran’s giant South Pars gas field will initially carry around 60 million standard cubic metres per day of gas. India, which imports more than 70 percent of its energy needs, has been racing to secure new supplies of oil and gas from abroad, besides ramping up production from domestic sources to sustain its scorching economic growth.](“http://thenews.jang.com.pk/print3.asp?id=10165”)
Re: Iran impatient with India over gas pipeline - says will go ahead with Pakistan
Firstly the Iranians made the first delays, by calling for a review of the price every year. Basically with a desire to scale up the price. Secondly Pakistan can not afford the pipeline on its own. The investment in our country alone would be 5 billion dollars and the transit fees we would get from India amount to 700 million a year. So we need this as bad if not worse than India.
Re: Iran impatient with India over gas pipeline - says will go ahead with Pakistan
I can't imagine why the Iranis are doing this considering the Working group has a working solution and the Indian Minister is due in Pakistan this month to finalize the deal. I guess its to counter pressure from the US.
Re: Iran impatient with India over gas pipeline - says will go ahead with Pakistan
It is not USA issue only.
Iranian regime is very unstable and unpredictable in its international (or national) issues.
That's one of the major reasons why a mega-project worth $billions won't go forward.
I suspect that both India and Pakistan are using Iran to pressure US on nuclear stuff. Iranians don't have money or technology for the "Huge line" and neither do India or Pakistan.
In the end the pipeline will only go forward with the blessing of large oil companies and mega-banks. And that's very difficult if not downright impossible with Nejat gov.
Re: Iran impatient with India over gas pipeline - says will go ahead with Pakistan
It was iranians who were asking for a review of prices. THey know very well that india badly needs energy and trying to use that weakness.
So obviously that nuclear deal with the USA will nowhere near satisfy the energy requirements of India, even the majority of it. So it's needs traditional energy resources from Iran and Central Asis, and that can only come via Pakistan. :)
Re: Iran impatient with India over gas pipeline - says will go ahead with Pakistan
pakistan is easy, just pay money and everything will flow just fine. its iran who is the unreliable one - wants a lot of money, and finally nothing might come thru if an ayatollah sneezes.
Re: Iran impatient with India over gas pipeline - says will go ahead with Pakistan
Thats fine... If India is falling into the trap of closing its borders to its neighbors, then we should leave them to their own.
Yup, India has to have the energy resources from Iran and the CAR's, otherwise it's economy will stagnate. So their need is quite desperate, so will come round sooner or later.
Re: Iran impatient with India over gas pipeline - says will go ahead with Pakistan
as is its style, india is playing a double game because under the nuclear agreement, india is specifically required to side with americans against iran. therefore there is no possibility of india being a participant in the pipeline. essentially india will try to buy time so that it can avoid alienating iran. pak should push for pipeline on its own. if iranians are smart they will recognise india's intention. if they are not, they deserve to get screwed.
Re: Iran impatient with India over gas pipeline - says will go ahead with Pakistan
A pipeline with Pak even with the exclusion of India ,will atleast have the benefit of bringing us closer to the Iranians... Always good to have alies...
Re: Iran impatient with India over gas pipeline - says will go ahead with Pakistan
as is its style, india is playing a double game because under the nuclear agreement, india is specifically required to side with americans against iran. therefore there is no possibility of india being a participant in the pipeline. essentially india will try to buy time so that it can avoid alienating iran. pak should push for pipeline on its own. if iranians are smart they will recognise india's intention. if they are not, they deserve to get screwed.
selective blindness? isn't pakistan the frontline ally of US in its war on "islamic terror"? please explain how iran should trust pakistan to side with it in case of iran being bombed.
any guesses on why iran wants to consider only half of what pak wants? sounds to me the ayatollahs are buying time to judge which way pakistani politics explode in the coming weeks.
Re: Iran impatient with India over gas pipeline - says will go ahead with Pakistan
india wants to have their cake and eat it too. and that is never possible in real life. they'd either have to go ahead with iran or with USA. they can not appease both. their diplomats will have to realize that.
Re: Iran impatient with India over gas pipeline - says will go ahead with Pakistan
india wants to have their cake and eat it too. and that is never possible in real life. they'd either have to go ahead with iran or with USA. they can not appease both. their diplomats will have to realize that.
India waiting for orders from Washington DC that may never come. China has 10 times the appetite for Iranian gas & oil may be they can use the route... There is talk of using Gawadar for import export.
Re: Iran impatient with India over gas pipeline - says will go ahead with Pakistan
selective blindness? isn't pakistan the frontline ally of US in its war on "islamic terror"? please explain how iran should trust pakistan to side with it in case of iran being bombed.
any guesses on why iran wants to consider only half of what pak wants? sounds to me the ayatollahs are buying time to judge which way pakistani politics explode in the coming weeks.
actually after 9/11, india had offrered no string attached help to the u.s. including use of air bases in india. so for iranians, pak participation in gwot is immaterial. also al qaedah is anti-shia so iranians are not bothered by pak helping the americans.
as far as pipeline is concerned, india's options are restricted. the nuclear agreement with u.s. specifically calls for indian cooperation with american effort against iran. look it up.
