WASHINGTON: The Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project will not yet benefit from the nuclear agreement that may ease economic sanctions on Tehran, says the US State Department.

On July 14, the United States and five other world powers signed a deal with Iran, which would end international economic sanctions on Tehran if it abandoned its nuclear weapons programme.

Tariq Fatemi, the prime minister’s special adviser on foreign affairs, told a think-tank in Washington last week that Pakistan welcomed the deal because it would open the doors for economic cooperation with Iran, including the construction of a pipeline to bring natural gas for the energy-starved South Asian nation.

Take a look: Tehran nuclear deal revives hope for Pakistan-Iran gas pipeline

Asked to comment on Mr Fatemi’s statement, a State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the lifting of sanctions for commercial deals with Iran had not started yet.

“We don’t consider Iran open for business yet, and there’s no new sanctions relief beyond the very limited relief under the joint plan of action that’s been in place since January 2014,” he said. “When Iran meets its key nuclear steps and we get to implementation day, then there will be commensurate relief of nuclear-related sanctions.”

The US official said that he would not offer “specific opinion” on “various possible future economic relations or economic deals or whatever, business deals.”

But “should those conversations progress to any transactions or other activities that are still sanctionable prior to implementation day, then we’ll continue to fully implement and enforce our sanctions,” he added.

Replying to another question, Mr Toner said the United States had close counter-terrorism cooperation with India, and supported New Delhi’s demand for bringing those to justice who were responsible for the Mumbai terrorist attacks.

“Our hearts go out to the victims of that attack and we want to see justice served, obviously, and we want to see the perpetrators brought to justice,” he said.

Published in Dawn, August 3rd, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play