Pakistan’s Iran ties could complicate Washington’s efforts to negotiate with Tehran

Pakistan is the wrong country to entrust with converting Washingtonrsquos sustained pressure on Tehran into practical next steps as Islamabad needs a workable relationship with Iran to protect its own economic and security interests while Tehran has several ways to make any deterioration in ties painful for Pakistan a report has statedRenewed US sanctions restrictions on Iranian financial and commercial networks pressure on oil revenues and the cumulative economic costs of war have narrowed Iranrsquos room for manoeuvre after months of negotiations failed to produce the desired results a report in Real Clear Defense statedldquoAmerican sanctions obstruct Pakistani plans for Iranian energy and expanded trade Confrontation threatens Balochistan and could force Islamabad to divert security resources toward an already unstable frontier Pakistanrsquos Mecca defence commitments to Saudi Arabia at least theoretically expose it to Iranian support for the Houthis making Iranian restraint valuable to Islamabad regardless of what Tehran gives Washingtonrdquo the report detailedldquoChina Pakistanrsquos indispensable strategic partner purchases Iranian petroleum and wants reliable Gulf energy flows Pakistanrsquos military leadership has also used mediation to rebuild its political relevance in Washington by presenting access to Tehran as a valuable diplomatic asset These interests have consistently pushed Islamabad toward deescalation at precisely the point when sustained pressure had the potential to force Iran into harder choicesrdquo it statedThe report argued that Pakistan is hardly a neutral party given its own interest in easing US economic pressure on Iran It highlighted that the IranPakistan gas pipeline has remained stalled for years caught between Islamabadrsquos need for Iranian energy and the constraints imposed by American sanctionsWhile Iran has built substantial infrastructure on its side of the border the report said Pakistan has repeatedly postponed work on its section It added that Tehran has since pressed Islamabad to honour its contractual commitments and warned of potential penalties while Pakistanrsquos persistent energy shortages continue to make Iranian gas an attractive optionEasing sanctions on Tehran could thus help clear a major hurdle for Pakistanrsquos own energy ambitions Yet Pakistani officials advising Washington on the economic concessions needed for an agreement are discussing restrictions that directly affect their governmentrsquos ability to buy Iranian energy the report notedldquoIranian petrol and diesel already enter Pakistan through entrenched smuggling networks across Balochistan Price differences and Pakistani demand support drivers traders storage operators retailers and communities that derive income from the traffic Pakistani authorities occasionally seize fuel and conduct enforcement operations while leaving the commercial networks largely intact Stronger restrictions on Iranian petroleum reach beyond Tehranrsquos revenues into a Pakistani border economy whose disruption creates problems for Islamabadrdquo the report in Real Clear Defense mentionedldquoIranian authorities can also tighten fuel flows customs procedures or border commerce from their side Parts of Pakistani Balochistan rely on Iranian electricity including areas around the Makran coast giving Tehran additional means of creating economic pressure in a province where Islamabad already faces separatist violence and weak developmentrdquo it addedThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever