Iran determined to move ahead with pipeline to Pakistan

Despite reports the project has been abandoned, the Iranian government said it was determined to push ahead with a gas pipeline for Pakistan.

"Tehran and Islamabad are determined to implement their gas exports contract and a Pakistani delegation will travel to Iran soon to expedite construction of the gas export pipeline to Iran," the Oil Ministry announced Sunday.

No date for the visit was given.

Iran said it has most of the 775-mile section of the pipeline completed. Designed to give Pakistan as much as 21 million cubic feet of natural gas per day, the project has been delayed because of sanctions pressure on Iran.

Pakistan is facing energy reliability issues because of aging infrastructure, but has foreign lender support for renewable energy and liquefied natural gas port development projects.

A Saturday report in Pakistani newspaper Daily Times said the pipeline project has been scrapped because of lingering sanctions on Iran.

Iran last year pulled out of a finance deal for Pakistan because of sanctions pressure.