Iran-Pakistan Pipe, Maybe. India, No

摘要

Long years of talks on a potential Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline may conclude within the next couple of months, but the result — at best — is likely to be a smaller line running only to Pakistan, without Indian involvement. Anxious to bring India along, Iran sent Finance and Economy Minister Davoud Danesh-Jafari to New Delhi last week, but India is continuing to drag its feet, apparently due to some combination of US pressure, ongoing consideration of nuclear energy as an alternative to gas for power generation, and unwillingness to meet Pakistan's demands for a transit fee.