Pak defiant on Iran gas deal

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani says Pakistan will go ahead with a plan to import natural gas from Iran even if the U.S. levies additional sanctions on the middle-east country.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani says Pakistan will go ahead with a plan to import natural gas from Iran even if the U.S. levies additional sanctions on the middle-east country.

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Gilani's comments, on Tuesday, come two days after the U.S. special envoy to Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, said new sanctions being finalized by Congress could affect the deal with Iran.

The prime minister said Pakistan would reconsider the gas deal if it violated UN sanctions, but not those levied unilaterally by the U.S.

Iran inked a contract earlier this month to export 21.5 million cubic meters (760 million cubic feet) of gas per day to Pakistan through a new pipeline beginning in 2014. The construction of the pipeline is estimated to cost some $7 billion.