US Warns of Sanctions Risk as Pakistan Inks Deals With Iran

“We advise anyone considering business deals with Iran to be aware of the potential risk of sanctions,” US State Department spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters in Washington Tuesday. “Ultimately, the Government of Pakistan can speak to their own foreign policy pursuits.”

The warnings came as Washington imposed sanctions last week on suppliers to Pakistan’s ballistic missile program, which included four based in China and Belarus. Patel said on the sanctions that the US will continue to “disrupt” and take action against proliferation networks and weapons of mass destruction.

Pakistan has been looking to revive a project to build a gas pipeline from Iran, which has been delayed for decades due to the risk of sanctions from the US. Last month, Assistant Secretary of State Donald Lu said in a congressional hearing that the Biden administration will uphold all sanctions related to Iran when he was asked about the Pakistan-Iran pipeline.