India in Talks With Iran, US Over Pipeline Project

India is in talks with both Iran and US to discuss sanctions regarding the much-delayed gas Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline project.

Asia News International quoted India’s Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas M. Veerappa Moily as saying, “We are engaged in this kind of talks with Iran and also with the US. This project is beneficial to our country, no doubt. That's why we are working on that, there are other sensitive and other issues with regard to the sanctions, which we will have to address."

Dubbed the "peace pipeline", the seven billion dollar Iran-Pakistan-India project has faced repeated delays since it was conceived in the 1990s to connect Iran's giant South Pars Gas Field to India via Pakistan, ANI said.

The United States has persistently opposed Pakistan and Indian involvement, saying the project could violate sanctions imposed on Iran over nuclear activities. India quit the project in 2009, citing costs and security issues, a year after it signed a nuclear deal with Washington.