Pakistan is cooperating in the construction of the "peace" pipeline to transport Iranian natural gas to the country. This is the accusation launched by the Iranian oil minister, Bijan Zangeneh against Islamabad. Interviewed by the "Irna" news agency, the minister stressed that Iran has completed its part of the pipeline to the border with Pakistan and is ready to deliver the gas to Islamabad which, however, "has yet to start" its trait of competence. "Pakistan has not lived up to the agreements and is not cooperating in the construction of the pipeline," said Zangeneh. "It is likely that the United States and Saudi Arabia have carried out some sort of sabotage", speculated the Iranian Oil Minister, according to which Pakistan would have received pressure to pursue other options including a pipeline proposed by Turkmenistan called Tapi ( Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India). According to the Iranian minister, there are also obstacles to the realization of Tapi, considered a project in competition with that proposed by Iran and supported by the United States and Saudi Arabia. Zangeneh stressed that the Tapi project will have many difficulties in proceeding due to the tensions between India and Pakistan. The Iran-backed peace pipeline initially envisaged passage through Pakistan and India, but India abandoned the project in 2009. The $ 7 billion project was conceived in the 90s to connect the gigantic South Pars Iranian gas field to the Indian subcontinent.
