ISLAMABAD – The Iranian government vowed to take legal action against thePakistani government on Sunday over Islamabad’s failure to keep up theirend of a bargain to build an oil pipeline bridging the two nations,Pakistan Today reports.
Iranian Petroleum Minister Bijan Namdar Zangeneh told reporters on Sundaythat Iran has laid down pipeline up to the Iran-Pakistan border,but Pakistan has neglected to hold up its end of a bargain to construct thepipeline on the other side.
As such, Tehran will lodge a complaint about the delayed process.[image: Iranian flag]
Talks surrounding the deal to build the pipeline have been ongoingsince 1995. Islamabad has been pressured by the United States and SaudiArabia against completing the deal. But Washington may also be changing itstune.
Analysts say Beijing may pick up the slack in helping to build the pipelineinside Pakistan. China has already dedicated billions to the China PakistanEconomic Corridor as part of Beijing’s One Belt, One Road initiative.
In December, the US backed off its opposition to the project. Jerry Bisson,mission director at the US Agency for International Development, said hesupported Islamabad getting financing from any country, including Russia orChina, in order to build the Iran-Pakistan pipeline.
“We can look at it. Any donor investment in infrastructure eitherfrom Russia, China, the World Bank or the Asian Development Bank and anyinvestment for the benefit of the Pakistani people and economy, we supportit,” Bisson said.
“We don’t have any particular views about where the money comes from; wesupport the government of Pakistan in improving lives of the people.