TEHRAN, Sept 29: Iran will sign a multi-billion dollar gas pipeline deal with Pakistan in the absence of India by the end of October, a top Iranian oil official said on Saturday.

“The peace pipeline contract... will be ready to sign by the end of October,” Hojatollah Ghanimi-Fard, Iran’s representative to the talks, told the oil ministry’s news service Shana.

Indian officials have been absent from the talks over the ‘peace pipeline’ between Iranian and Pakistani officials to finalise the long-delayed deal, which would see Iranian gas sent to Pakistan and to India via Pakistan.

“It was agreed that the price be calculated according to the current gas market standards,” Ghanimi-Fard was quoted as saying by the Irna news agency.

“Pakistan asked for 60 million cubic metres per day, 30 million of which was approved,” he said.

“All issues of disagreement were studied again and all points have been finalised,” he said, adding that the final meeting would be held in Pakistan in mid-October to “study the text of the contract to see if it does not contradict agreements”. Ghanimi-Fard said India was welcome to join the contract “whenever this country’s problems are resolved and it will be a tripartite deal”.

—AFP