NEW DELHI, Oct. 18 (UPI) -- New Delhi is interested in restarting talks with Iran over a trilateral gas pipeline, though concerns over security and pricing remain, an official said.
India was included in initial plans for the Iran-Pakistan-India natural gas pipeline but stayed on the sidelines for years because of pricing issues with Iran and concerns over the security of the pipeline through Pakistan.
India imports more than 18 million tons of petroleum from Iran each year, slightly less than 10 percent of its annual imports.
An official speaking to The Hindustan Times on condition of anonymity said New Delhi was interested restarting talks on IPI.
"There are two issues that need to be sorted out, pricing as well as the security issues of the pipeline," the official said. "On the price front, Iran hasn't been consistent and that issue has to be tackled to ensure that it is a viable project."
New Delhi said it wanted to approach the issue with Tehran most recently in September but blamed Iranian officials for balking on the project.
