Islamabad-

The U.S. State Department said it does not support Pakistan’s plan to build a pipeline to import natural gas from Iran.

U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller declined to comment on the nature of sanctions Pakistan may face over energy imports from Iran. However, he warned Islamabad not to go ahead with the plan.

“But we have always advised you that doing business with Iran could potentially trigger our sanctions and recommended that you consider that carefully,” Miller said. He added, “The assistant secretary made it clear last week that we do not support moving forward with this.” A pipeline.”

Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lew told a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing last Wednesday that importing natural gas from Iran would expose Pakistan to U.S. sanctions.

Pakistan’s outgoing caretaker government approved construction of an 80-kilometer pipeline in February, largely to avoid paying Iran $18 billion in fines stemming from years of project delays.

Miller’s comments came after Pakistani media reported on Tuesday that Islamabad was planning to seek a waiver from U.S. sanctions.

“We will seek exemption from US sanctions. Pakistan cannot afford sanctions on the gas pipeline project,” Pakistani Oil Minister Musadiq Malik told the media in an informal conversation, Dawn News reported. “

VOA reached out to Malik for more information but did not receive a reply.

Lew told the committee last week that Washington “has not heard that the Pakistani government wishes to be exempted from U.S. sanctions on such projects.”

Pakistan’s foreign ministry said Islamabad did not need a waiver to build the pipeline.

“This is part of the pipeline that is being built inside Pakistan. Therefore, we do not see any room for discussion or third-party exemption at this time,” said Pakistan Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch he said in response to a question from VOA at his weekly press conference on Thursday.

Pakistan and Iran signed an agreement in June 2009 to build a pipeline to supply Pakistan with 750 million to 1 billion cubic feet of Iranian natural gas per day.

In the recently approved first phase, Pakistan will build an 80-kilometer section of the pipeline from its border with Iran to the port city of Gwadar in the southwestern province of Balochistan.

Iran claims to have completed construction of 900 kilometers of the pipeline on its side in 2011. However, Pakistan has delayed construction on its side, mainly fearing U.S. sanctions.

Tehran is under sanctions from Washington over its nuclear programme.