India undeterred by US opposition to IPI pipeline: Iranian official

Rome, Dec 5: India is to go ahead with its plans to import Iranian natural gas through a pipeline across Pakistan, undeterred by the US opposition to New Delhi dealing with Tehran, a senior Iranian gas official has said.

"At the end of this week, we have a meeting with them," Nosratollah Seifi, the Managing Director of the National Iranian Gas Export Company (NIGEC), told reporters here.

"Every time we asked whether they were under pressure from the US they said 'no, we will follow national opportunities.' And that is what they are doing," he added.

Seifi said that the NIGEC was currently meeting Pakistani and Indian officials over the operational agreement for the pipeline, and some disagreement between the two neighbours remained to be resolved.

Although, India is concerned about transit fees that Pakistan wanted to levy on the gas, Iran believes that the project is on track.

"They had some negotiations about the cost of the transit and transport that Pakistan claimed," The News quoted Seifi, as saying on the sidelines of the CWC World LNG summit.

"That is why they want Iran to observe the meetings," he claimed. (ANI)

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