The White House said on Tuesday it still opposes a proposed natural gas pipeline linking energy-rich Iran with India, clarifying remarks by President George W. Bush that seemed to soften US opposition to the project.
Bush had seemed to suggest a shift in policy when he said during a visit to Pakistan on Friday that "our beef with Iran is not the pipeline, our beef with Iran is the fact that they want to develop a nuclear weapon."
"As we stated before, the US government does not support the Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline," said White House National Security Council spokesman Frederick Jones.
Jones said while the United States recognised the growing energy needs of India and Pakistan, "we have repeatedly expressed concerns about international participation in energy projects with Iran."
This concern is over "Iran's nuclear activities, support for terrorists, and (its) atrocious human rights record," Jones said.
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