Dealing with Iran encourages its nuclear plan -U.S.

Tuesday, 25 April 2006

DOHA (Reuters) - Conducting business with Iran encourages its nuclear ambitions, said U.S. Energy Secretary Sam Bodman on Monday when asked for his reaction to a $7 billion (3.9 billion pounds) gas pipeline deal between Iran, Pakistan and India. "Doing business with Iran, it seems to me, at a certain level encourages this," he told a news conference, referring to Iran's nuclear program. The oil ministers of Iran, Pakistan and India told Reuters on Saturday they were very near a final agreement on a planned gas pipeline to pump Iranian gas to India, in defiance of U.S. opposition. Iranian Oil Minister Kazem Vaziri said he expected the final deal to be signed in Tehran in June. more