Ariana News Agency-\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Islamabad has announced that it is unable to implement the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project due to the US\u2019 anti-Iranian sanctions, but added that it would go ahead of executing the project only if international sanctions on Iran were lifted. If completed, the pipeline would deliver 21.5 million cubic meters of gas per day to Pakistan.<\/p>\n \u201cUnder present US sanctions on Iran, it is impossible to execute the IP [Iran-Pakistan] gas pipeline project and we have conveyed it to them [Iran] in writing, recently. We cannot risk US sanctions by going ahead with the project as America has clearly said that anybody who will work with Iran will also be sanctioned\u201d, Mobin Saulat, the managing director of the Pakistani energy company Inter State Gas, was cited by Arab News as saying.<\/p>\n Referring to Iran\u2019s readiness to turn to an arbitration court over Islamabad\u2019s failure to adhere to an IP deal, Saulat said that Islamabad has time \u201ctill August this year to legally respond to Iran\u2019s legal notice and settle the issue through negotiations\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cWe may not have a weak case if Iran moves the international court. We are trying to handle it professionally\u201d, he pointed out.<\/p>\n The statement comes as Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, chairman of the left-wing Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) berated the country\u2019s government for \u201cbowing before international pressure\u201d and failing to complete the IP project.<\/p>\n \u201cPPP initiated this project at height of international sanctions because we put Pakistan first. People pay the price for weak leaders in expensive gas bills\u201d, he underscored.<\/p>\n The developments followed the US announcement in late April that there will be no more exemptions from sanctions for countries buying Iranian oil.<\/p>\n The White House stressed that the decision is aimed \u201cto bring Iran\u2019s oil exports to zero, denying the regime its principal source of revenue\u201d.<\/p>\n Earlier this week, Tehran announced that it would partially discontinue its commitments under the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and give Europe 60 days to ensure Iran’s interests were protected under the agreement.<\/p>\n Shortly after, US President Donald Trump imposed additional sanctions on Iran related to its iron, steel, aluminium and copper sectors, pledging to slap more restrictions if Iran\u2019s behaviour is not changed.<\/p>\n Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi, for his part, emphasised that the US sanctions on Iranian metals run counter to international norms. The move comes after the US slapped fresh sanctions on Iran related to the Islamic Republic\u2019s iron, steel, aluminium, and copper sectors, with Washington threatening to impose more restrictive measures on Tehran.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3084,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_mat_hreflang_tags":[],"addvideo":"","video_duration":"","farsit":"","target":"0","top_stories":"0","top":"0"},"categories":[305],"tags":[87,67,213],"class_list":["post-3083","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-asia","tag-iran","tag-pakistan","tag-us-sanctions"],"acf":{"myctype":"change","target":false,"top_stories":false,"top":false,"farsit":""},"yoast_head":"\n
\nTrump announced the re-imposition of anti-Iranian sanctions back on May 8, 2018, when he signalled Washington\u2019s withdrawal from the JCPOA. He also threatened to slap secondary sanctions on all those foreign companies that do business with the Islamic Republic.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"