It is very likely that Time magazine’s ‘Man of the year’ may be Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, simply because he seems to be the man who currently holds the keys to the oil kingdom of Iran, the world’s second largest owner of oil reserves. Thus, it’s a very, very important player on the world stage.
Iran is extremely crucial to India as well which is why the Indian government laid the foundation for building a 2700 km long pipeline that would carry liquefied natural gas from Iran to India through Pakistan in the early 90’s.
Iran has realized that India needs energy to sustain its rapid economic growth and that was the reason Iran hiked the price of building and transporting gas through the pipeline to a massive 7.2 dollars per thermal unit which is almost twice the prevailing market rate.
However, the Indian government has been smart enough to realize that with the U.S having it’s eye set on brokering some sort of deal with Iran as is evident from the recent media attention that Ahmadinejad received when he gave a speech at the Columbia University,it has to act fast.
Many know that while the ‘official reason’ for America’s disdain of Iran is the development of it’s nuclear programme,the other answer is that the U.S like India wants a huge slice of the Iranian oil pie because the energy situation twenty five years from now is going to be very different.
Researchers predict that scarcity will be the order of the day.
From September 24-26 this year Iran, Pakistan and India were scheduled to meet in order to iron out their differences so that the pipeline project finally attains fruition but India has pulled out of this trilateral meet simply because it knows that a direct bilateral conversation that would clear the air between Pakistan and India is needed first and only then can other talks resume.
Pakistan having realized its own role in this pipeline project has for long been asking for a high transit fee in order to allow the gas to pass through its territory which India is trying to negotiate through.
So, while Ahmadinejad enjoys his American trip,officials from all three countries will have to wait longer to finalize this deal.It’s quite clear that only when all three players get on to the same page will the pipeline finally be built.
India has to resolve it’s differences with Pakistan quickly lest Iran goes to someone else and takes it’s oil with it.
IMAGE
RELATED ARTICLE
