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Will the US block an Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline?

Serpentine

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Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, right, and his Pakistani counterpart, Asif Ali Zardari, shake hands for photographers at the start of their meeting in Tehran, Iran, to discuss a gas pipeline deal. The US State Department has warned of sanctions, Alic writes, but is keeping a low profile on direct threats until the pipeline deal is sealed.

Vahid Salemi/AP/File


Next week Iran and Pakistan will begin work on a $7.5 billion gas pipeline that the US has been fighting tooth and nail to stop in all manner of proxy methods.

On 11 March, Pakistani officials braved the “international community” by announcing that “groundbreaking” work on the 780-kilometer pipeline would begin on the Pakistani side of the border, marking the start of construction by an Iranian-Pakistani consortium.

Just prior to the announcement, Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari met with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran.


The Pakistani portion of the pipeline will cost around $1.5 billion. This is the key here because the 900-kilometer Iranian portion of the pipeline is already nearing completion.
The pipeline will go ahead largely because Pakistan’s energy crisis dictates that it must. And even US sanctions won’t prevent it, and threats emanating from Washington (largely through the US mainstream media) are only working to increase already volatile anti-American sentiment in Pakistan. (Related article: RUSSIA-ISRAEL: New Oil & Gas Geopolitics in the Mediterranean)

The US State Department has warned of sanctions, but is keeping a low profile on direct threats until the pipeline deal is sealed. It’s still working the back rooms to stop the deal, but Iran is working even harder—namely by putting up the bulk of the funding for the Pakistani portion of the pipeline.

So far, while the US has promised to offer Pakistan a better deal than a pipeline with Iran, we haven’t seen anything concrete that can compete with this type of energy security. After all, the pipeline will bring Pakistan some 21.5 million cubic meters of gas a day.

The US had been hoping to lure Pakistani into an alternative pipeline deal – the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline, which would bypass Iran. The TAPI pipeline, however, is a stop-and-start project that has its own security issues to deal with: it would be either targeted by the Taliban or the Taliban would have to be figured in as benefactors, which would mean much for the conflict in Afghanistan. Even the most optimistic observers put a completion date at around 2018.

Washington remains adamant that the pipeline is a violation of sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program. But Islamabad is unmoved by the threats and President Zardari has intimated that the pipeline deal will go through despite external influence.


"Nobody has the power to halt this project," he was quoted by The Express Tribune newspaper in Pakistan as saying. (Related article: TURKEY-ISRAEL: Gas Pipeline Rumors Are Geopolitically Tectonic)

Of course, it’s not an easy time for Zardari, whose five-year term is coming to an end, leaving open a window of opportunity for external influence in the election process to various ends. Pakistan's parliament is due to dissolve in two weeks in preparation for elections that will tentatively be held in mid-May.

There are other ways to sabotage this pipeline as well. The pipeline runs through some extremely insecure territory in Balochistan, which is likely to become a new (old) frontline in regional pipeline wars in the immediate-medium-term future.

The US and Saudi Arabia are willing to go quite far in derailing this project. They’ve already succeeded to some extent. Originally, the pipeline was meant to include India and was dubbed the “Peace Pipeline”.

Under pressure from Washington (plus a controversially generous gift of civilian nuclear technology access), India backed out in 2009.


So with India out of the equation, all attention turned to another front to derail this pipeline—Balochistan. The US and Saudi Arabia are both fomenting separatism in Balochistan, which is a convenient venue for stirring up trouble. The Pakistani province has huge gas reserves and vast mineral resources, coupled with an ongoing, armed dispute between economically, culturally and socially marginalized Balochi nationalists who have serious grievances against Pakistan's Punjab-dominated federal government.

Iran has a problem with Balochi separatists, the latter occasionally clashing with Iranian forces in Baloch-dominated regions across the border. The US is hoping that if the Balochis are empowered to step up the conflict, Iran could be forced to back down from its pipeline plans in light of the security situation. So far, this proxy war in Balochistan has been a major hindrance to Iran, but the end result is that it has only further inspired the pipeline plans.

Will the US block an Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline? - CSMonitor.com

This is U.S stance on this pipeline and many other things in the world:
No matter if your people die of hunger, disease and suffer from energy insufficiency, shortages and pressures, either you follow our line or you will be labeled as a terrorist nation,an axis of evil and a 'threat' to the world's 'peace'.And guess what? We suddenly become worried about 'human rights',terror threats and democracy in your country, and we will bring the democracy to you...BY FORCE.If you don't come to democracy,we will bring it to you.

I'm happy to see majority of Pakistanis are well aware of interests of their country.
 
11 march the inauguration date for this pipeline is not so far
 
USA is building a vast oil and gas line form Canada to Taxas


Apne liye Halwa doosro ki liye Haram is US policy
 
well , no i dont think so ..only way to stop is if america give Pakistan free gas instead :D
 
Salaam to all the Muslims,

I don't think neither Pakistan nor the United States can block this anymore.

Pakistan's economy will be so heavily affected if they don't build this pipeline that it'll be equivalent to US sanctions anyway. But at least if they build it, then US sanctions won't have such big affect like it did in the 1990s.

Remember this, United States is no longer the biggest or the second biggest trade partner of Pakistan anymore and the Pakistani GDP has now grown to $231 billion.

The Pakistani Government has very affectively adopted the 'Look East' policy in the last 5 years.

Salaam to all the Muslims.
 
Salaam to all the Muslims,

I don't think neither Pakistan nor the United States can block this anymore.

Pakistan's economy will be so heavily affected if they don't build this pipeline that it'll be equivalent to US sanctions anyway. But at least if they build it, then US sanctions won't have such big affect like it did in the 1990s.

Remember this, United States is no longer the biggest or the second biggest trade partner of Pakistan anymore and the Pakistani GDP has now grown to $231 billion.

The Pakistani Government has very affectively adopted the 'Look East' policy in the last 5 years.

Salaam to all the Muslims.



I agree, let US impose sanctions. Pakistan is a Sovereign country that is not breaking any International Laws. It is Pakistan's right to pursue trade with any nation and import desperately needed energy to solve its Economic Problems.

It is the US that will be breaking International Law by obstructing a Soveriegn country from developing its resources. US has no authority to impede Pakistan's progress.

The way to fight an ugly BULLY is not back down but to challege them according to International Law.
 
I agree, let US impose sanctions. Pakistan is a Sovereign country that is not breaking any International Laws. It is Pakistan's right to persue trade with any nation and import desperately needed energy to solve its Economic Problems.

It is the US that will be breaking International Law by obstructing a Soveriegn country from developing its resources. US has no authority to impede Pakistan's progress.

The way to fight an ugly BULLY is not back down but to challege them according to International Law.

But the US is only trying to help, don't you think? Nuclear iran is a scary scary though!
 
But the US is only trying to help, don't you think? Nuclear iran is a scary scary though!


US is not trying to help Pakistan, that is for sure.

Five years ago they had an opportunity of solving Pakistan's Energy problem through Nuclear deal for peaceful purposes but they refused. Now Pakistan needs a gas to sove the critical energy crisis and they threaten to impose sanctions against Pakistan.

I think we have had enough "HELP" from the US and we should cut our losses and move away from the US and look east for Solutions.
 
US is not trying to help Pakistan, that is for sure.

Five years ago they had an opportunity of solving Pakistan's Energy problem through Nuclear deal for peaceful purposes but they refused. Now Pakistan needs a gas to sove the critical energy crisis and they threaten to impose sanctions against Pakistan.

I think we have had enough "HELP" from the US and we should cut our losses and move away from the US and look east for Solutions.

but honestly i know the US isn't very honest with Pakistan anymore. But don't you think both sides are to blame. It's okay is Pakistan doesn't agree with the US and wants to do it's own thing. But then shouldn't the government be honest and straigtforward about it instead of playing a double game. The way the ISI seems to be playing both sides just makes everyone criticize pakistan even though pakistan has a reason not to trust the US you know.
With Iran, do you think they should have nuclear weapons?
 
well , no i dont think so ..only way to stop is if america give Pakistan free gas instead :D

US have give the option of cheaper gas from Turkmenistan.

Why does Pakistan, have energy problem all of a sudden?

Why nuclear Iran is danger , have Pakistan been a danger to anyone since going nuclear

Iran is organizing terrorism in every Islamic state.

0305-iran_full_380.jpg

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, right, and his Pakistani counterpart, Asif Ali Zardari, shake hands for photographers at the start of their meeting in Tehran, Iran, to discuss a gas pipeline deal. The US State Department has warned of sanctions, Alic writes, but is keeping a low profile on direct threats until the pipeline deal is sealed.

Vahid Salemi/AP/File


Next week Iran and Pakistan will begin work on a $7.5 billion gas pipeline that the US has been fighting tooth and nail to stop in all manner of proxy methods.

On 11 March, Pakistani officials braved the “international community” by announcing that “groundbreaking” work on the 780-kilometer pipeline would begin on the Pakistani side of the border, marking the start of construction by an Iranian-Pakistani consortium.

Just prior to the announcement, Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari met with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran.


The Pakistani portion of the pipeline will cost around $1.5 billion. This is the key here because the 900-kilometer Iranian portion of the pipeline is already nearing completion.
The pipeline will go ahead largely because Pakistan’s energy crisis dictates that it must. And even US sanctions won’t prevent it, and threats emanating from Washington (largely through the US mainstream media) are only working to increase already volatile anti-American sentiment in Pakistan. (Related article: RUSSIA-ISRAEL: New Oil & Gas Geopolitics in the Mediterranean)

The US State Department has warned of sanctions, but is keeping a low profile on direct threats until the pipeline deal is sealed. It’s still working the back rooms to stop the deal, but Iran is working even harder—namely by putting up the bulk of the funding for the Pakistani portion of the pipeline.

So far, while the US has promised to offer Pakistan a better deal than a pipeline with Iran, we haven’t seen anything concrete that can compete with this type of energy security. After all, the pipeline will bring Pakistan some 21.5 million cubic meters of gas a day.

The US had been hoping to lure Pakistani into an alternative pipeline deal – the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline, which would bypass Iran. The TAPI pipeline, however, is a stop-and-start project that has its own security issues to deal with: it would be either targeted by the Taliban or the Taliban would have to be figured in as benefactors, which would mean much for the conflict in Afghanistan. Even the most optimistic observers put a completion date at around 2018.

Washington remains adamant that the pipeline is a violation of sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program. But Islamabad is unmoved by the threats and President Zardari has intimated that the pipeline deal will go through despite external influence.


"Nobody has the power to halt this project," he was quoted by The Express Tribune newspaper in Pakistan as saying. (Related article: TURKEY-ISRAEL: Gas Pipeline Rumors Are Geopolitically Tectonic)

Of course, it’s not an easy time for Zardari, whose five-year term is coming to an end, leaving open a window of opportunity for external influence in the election process to various ends. Pakistan's parliament is due to dissolve in two weeks in preparation for elections that will tentatively be held in mid-May.

There are other ways to sabotage this pipeline as well. The pipeline runs through some extremely insecure territory in Balochistan, which is likely to become a new (old) frontline in regional pipeline wars in the immediate-medium-term future.

The US and Saudi Arabia are willing to go quite far in derailing this project. They’ve already succeeded to some extent. Originally, the pipeline was meant to include India and was dubbed the “Peace Pipeline”.

Under pressure from Washington (plus a controversially generous gift of civilian nuclear technology access), India backed out in 2009.


So with India out of the equation, all attention turned to another front to derail this pipeline—Balochistan. The US and Saudi Arabia are both fomenting separatism in Balochistan, which is a convenient venue for stirring up trouble. The Pakistani province has huge gas reserves and vast mineral resources, coupled with an ongoing, armed dispute between economically, culturally and socially marginalized Balochi nationalists who have serious grievances against Pakistan's Punjab-dominated federal government.

Iran has a problem with Balochi separatists, the latter occasionally clashing with Iranian forces in Baloch-dominated regions across the border. The US is hoping that if the Balochis are empowered to step up the conflict, Iran could be forced to back down from its pipeline plans in light of the security situation. So far, this proxy war in Balochistan has been a major hindrance to Iran, but the end result is that it has only further inspired the pipeline plans.

Will the US block an Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline? - CSMonitor.com

This is U.S stance on this pipeline and many other things in the world:
No matter if your people die of hunger, disease and suffer from energy insufficiency, shortages and pressures, either you follow our line or you will be labeled as a terrorist nation,an axis of evil and a 'threat' to the world's 'peace'.And guess what? We suddenly become worried about 'human rights',terror threats and democracy in your country, and we will bring the democracy to you...BY FORCE.If you don't come to democracy,we will bring it to you.

I'm happy to see majority of Pakistanis are well aware of interests of their country.

IF CSM is promoting it than i have all the reason to be suspicious about the whole deal... nothing going to happen.
 
but honestly i know the US isn't very honest with Pakistan anymore. But don't you think both sides are to blame. It's okay is Pakistan doesn't agree with the US and wants to do it's own thing. But then shouldn't the government be honest and straigtforward about it instead of playing a double game. The way the ISI seems to be playing both sides just makes everyone criticize pakistan even though pakistan has a reason not to trust the US you know.
With Iran, do you think they should have nuclear weapons?



I don't think anyone should have Nuclear Weapons. But once the genie is out of the bottle, it is hard to put it back in. The question is who has the right to decide which countries should be allowed to have Nuclear Weapons and which shouldn't ?

Why is it OKAY for ISRAEL to have Nuclear Weapons but not IRAN. This inequity creates problems for the World Order and if we have International Law , it should be equally applicable to all nations.

A nuclear armed Iran is no threat to Pakistan, India, Israel or any other Nuclear Armed country because they are armed to the teeth with Nuclear Weapons as well.

I think we have to develop International Law that is fair and equitable and applies equally to all nations. Inequity promotes terrorism and assymetrical threat perceptions.

I believe we Humans are at the dawn of twenty first Century that has some huge challenges ahead and we will have to resolve these issues if we are to live peacefully on this planet.

It is nice chatting with you @ZYXW
 
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I don't think anyone should have Nuclear weapons. But once the genie is out of the bottle, it is hard to put it back in. The question is who has the right to decide if some countries should be allowed to have Nuclear weapons and which shouldn't ?

Why is it OKAY for ISRAEL to have Nuclear weapons but not IRAN. This inequity creates problems for the World and if we have International Law , it should be equally applicable to all nations.

A nuclear armed Iran is no threat to Pakistan, India, Israel or any other Nuclear Armed country because they are armed to the teeth with Nuclear Weapons as well.

I think we have to develop International Law that is fair and equitable and applies equally to all nations. Inequity promotes terrorism and assymetrical threat perceptions.

I believe Humans are at the dawn of twenty first century that has huge challenges ahead and will have to resolve these issues if we are to live peacefully on this planet.

It is nice chatting with you @ZYXW

I concur. well said:)
 
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But the US is only trying to help, don't you think? Nuclear iran is a scary scary though!

Salaam to all the Muslims,

To non-Muslims it maybe scary but for a Muslim Pakistan it's not.

Today, we have 4 Christian nuclear powers, 2 Communist, 1 Jewish, 1 Hindu and only 1 Muslim nuclear power in the world. Currently all eyes are turned towards Pakistan and all pressure falls on Pakistan but if there were at least 2 other Muslim countries (Saudi Arabia and Iran), Pakistan won't be targeted like some sort of a pariah state every other day.

Salaam to all the Muslims.
 
Its good to have U.S sanctions and what seems is there is no turning back because Iran and Pakistan have gone so far on this project.
 
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