WASHINGTON, Dec 23: The proposed Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline may never be built if the United States continues to object to the project because of its continuing hostile relationship with Tehran, Pakistani Ambassador Mahmud Ali Durrani said here on Friday.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Mr Durrani said the project could also be scuttled by a disagreement with Iran over the price Pakistan should pay for the gas.

If American objections derailed the project, the envoy said, Pakistan would expect the US to help find other ways of enabling the country to meet its energy needs.

He suggested that neither India nor Pakistan would be willing to sacrifice their relationships with the US for the sake of the project. The two countries “will be careful because America is an important ally,” he said.

As for the agreement that permits US shipments of nuclear fuel to India, Mr Durrani said Pakistan “has some concerns but is not paranoid about it”.—AP