Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh has said Iran will likely annul its gas export contract with Pakistan, according to semi-official Fars news agency – throwing into uncertainty the future of the much-anticipated 750mn cfd Iran-Pakistan (IP) pipeline.

The news may prove an early test for Pakistan’s government, led by prime minster Nawaz Sharif, which is struggling to avert economic crisis. Pakistan’s oil minister, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi insisted that “there is absolutely no chance” that the project will be abandoned “because we need it." (CONTINUED - 336 WORDS)