WALKING HAND IN HAND — Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad met last week with Afghan President Hamid Karzai (l.) and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari (rt.) to explore ways toward closer regional cooperation among the three countries. Iran has offered to to underwrite a gas pipeline to its Pakistani neighbor.

KABUL — Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmedinejad has quietly offered to finance the Pakistani portion of a multinational gas pipeline project opposed by the United States, in a strong signal of Tehran's intent to build closer ties with its neighbor.

Ahmedinejad left Pakistan Friday after meeting with Pakistan's president Asif Ali Zardari and Afghan president Hamid Karzai, a trilateral summit seeking a formula to stabilize conditions in Afghanistan.

Three countries agree on mutual cooperation

A joint statement issued by Pakistan's foreign ministry after the meeting said the three countries agreed to "develop mutually beneficial cooperation in the energy, mining and minerals, agriculture and other sectors" without providing further details.

But an Iranian official in Islamabad who spoke to CBS News on condition of anonymity said, "The IP [Iran-Pakistan] gas pipeline is very close to our heart. President Ahmedinejad indicated Iran's intent to finance the project on the Pakistani side if Pakistan has difficulty with finding the money".

Though an exact cost is not known yet, the Iranian official said that "Iran was ready to start from financing $1.5 billion for the project and build it up further if needed."

Pipeline could eventually reach India and China

The project is proposed to transport surplus gas from southern Iran. In the past, Pakistani officials have speculated that the supply line could be extended to India and China.

 A Pakistani official who also spoke to CBS News on condition of anonymity confirmed the offer, though he said "it is still early to tell if Pakistan will go ahead with the project" in defiance of the US In the past, US officials have opposed the plan on the grounds that it will inject large new revenue in
Iran's ailing economy and further embolden the hard line Islamist country.

Asked about the pipeline Friday, Zardari said, "Iran and Pakistan are neighbors. We need to interdepend on each other. Our bilateral relationships cannot be considered or undermined by any international pressure of any kind."

'Americans have no alternative to offer'

Last summer, Iranian officials surprised their Pakistani counterparts when they disclosed that Iran had already built the pipeline to within 50 kilometers of Pakistan's border. The revelation from Iranian officials came just months after Pakistan experienced ugly riots in some of its larger cities when protests broke out over gas shortages.

The Pakistani official who spoke to CBS News said, "Theoretically, it would make a great deal of sense for Pakistan to import gas from Iran. The US may oppose the project, but the Americans have no alternative to offer for providing relief to Pakistanis. When people are protesting because they can't cook food at home, the compulsion to do whatever is necessary becomes very strong."