WASHINGTON, Feb 22: The US State Department warned Pakistan against any oil deals with Iran and said, “we believe there are better ways and more secure ways and more efficient ways for Pakistan to get its power”.

State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters: “We’ve made clear to countries around the world, including Pakistan, that we believe it’s in their interest to avoid activities that could be prohibited by UN sanctions or that could be sanctionable under US law.”

Ms Nuland said: “We understand that Pakistan has significant energy needs and requirements” but there were other long-term solutions to Pakistan’s energy needs that would have better potential for success and would better meet Pakistan’s needs than spending scarce resources on projects like this.

She pointed out: “We (the US) are involved in a number of bilateral projects with Pakistan to support large-scale energy projects there, including ones that will add some 900 megawatts of power to the grid by 2013, enough power to supply an estimated two million households.

“These include renovating the power plant at Tarbela and Mangla and the Mangla Dam, modernising the thermal power plant at Guddu and Jamshoro – I’m going to mangle all these names – and Muzaffargarh and building new plants at Satpara and the Gomal Dam.”

On the proposed pipeline and oil refinery, she said this was something that had been proposed. It’s something that’s being developed. “I’m not in a position to make that kind of an assessment.”