Iran, Pakistan sign gas supply deal

September 11th, 2009 LONDON - Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Murli Deora has denied reports that India has quit plans to build a gas pipeline with Iran and Pakistan. No, it's not off, Deora told journalists here Thursday.

September 6th, 2009 TEHRAN -) India has exited from a gas pipeline deal it earlier planned with Iran and Pakistan, Mehr news agency reported citing a Pakistani diplomat. India definitely quitted the IPI (India-Pakistan-Iran) gas pipeline deal, the report said citing Pakistani ambassador to Iran, Muhammad Bux Abbasi, as saying here Sunday.

September 1st, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Iran will start laying the pipeline for gas supply in Pakistan next year, sources have said. The decision was made on Monday, the first day of three-day talks between officials of the two countries.

June 1st, 2009 LAHORE - Iran has lodged a strong protest with Pakistan over its failure to curb the ever increasing activities of Jundullah, a militant organization based in Pakistan. According to well-placed diplomatic sources, Iran said the Jundullah not only threatens the diplomatic relations between Islamabad and Tehran, but it also poses a threat to the proposed Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project.

May 29th, 2009 NICOSIA - Iran and Pakistan on Thursday signed in Tehran a deal for the supply of eight billion cubic meters of natural gas annually under an agreed price formula which has not been disclosed. Representatives of the two countries also signed an initial agreement for the construction of the Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) gas pipeline, which is expected to cost more than 7.5 billion dollars and has been dubbed "The Peace Pipeline." It is expected that gas deliveries will start in three to four years.

May 26th, 2009 TEHRAN - India can still join the Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) gas pipeline project, the Iranian foreign ministry said, a day after Islamabad and Tehran signed a pact on the export of Iranian gas. "Up to now, no Indian official has stated his countrys withdrawal from the project and we hope they make their decision soon, Hojjatollah Ghanimifard, the representative of Iranian oil minister to the IPI talks, said Monday.

May 25th, 2009 TEHRAN - Pakistan and Iran signed an inter-governmental framework declaration to support the gas deal signed by the oil ministries of the respective countries. President Asif Ali Zardari and his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad signed the declaration on Sunday Earlier, the Gas Sale Purchase Agreement was signed by the managing directors of the National Iranian Oil Company and Pakistan's Inter-state Gas System for the export of Iranian natural gas to Pakistan at the border of Iran-Pakistan for domestic consumption in Pakistan, the Daily Times reports.

May 19th, 2009 KARACHI - Advisor to Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Petroleum Dr Asim Hussain has said that Islamabad and Tehran will sign the agreement for the supply of gas under Iran Pakistan Gas Pipeline by the end of this month or next month. He said that Iran has nearly built the site for the supply of gas to at Pak-Iran border.

May 18th, 2009 TEHRAN - Iran and Pakistan will hold the last round of the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline talks in Tehran next week, the special representative of Iran's oil minister to the talks has said. 'A Pakistani delegation headed by Minister of Petroleum and Natural Resources Asim Hussain is to arrive in Tehran May 23 to finalise the Peace Pipeline deal based on the new price formula,' Hojjatollah Ghanimifard was quoted as saying by Mehr news agency.

March 20th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Iran has accused Pakistan of allowing its soil to be used against it. Addressing a press conference here, Iran's Ambassador to Pakistan Mashall-ah Shakeri asked Islamabad to curb the activities of Jund Ullah which is involved in carrying out anti-Iran activities from Pakistani soil.

March 12th, 2009 WASHINGTON - US military officials are exploring alternative supply routes for NATO and Afghan troops in Afghanistan that include Iran, the New York Times reported Thursday. The newspaper also reported that the question of the US base in Kyrgyzstan at the Manas base could be revived in the coming days when US negotiators travel there.

March 12th, 2009 LAHORE - President Asif Ali Zardari has said Pakistan will purchase gas from Iran even if India pulls out of the project, adding that he would discuss this possibility with the Iranian officials. The Daily Times quoted Zardari, as saying that Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) gas pipeline project was in the best interest of Pakistan and Iran.

March 12th, 2009 LAHORE - President Asif Ali Zardari has said Pakistan will purchase gas from Iran even if India pulls out of the project, adding that he would discuss this possibility with the Iranian officials. The Daily Times quoted Zardari, as saying that Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) gas pipeline project was in the best interest of Pakistan and Iran.

January 27th, 2009 TEHRAN - Iran is interested to discuss a deal to supply gas to the energy-hungry European continent, the semi-official Fars news agency reported on Wednesday, quoting a senior official. 'Iran is ready to discuss not just the supply but also the security.

January 19th, 2009 KOLKATA - India's largest coal producer Coal India Limited (CIL) and the largest power producer NTPC Ltd have decided to sign an agreement to always maintain 75 percent fuel supply for the power entity, a central minister said here Tuesday. 'The matter is more or less solved.