Iranian Deputy Oil Minister Javad Oji said Iran will deliver 3-4 million cubic meters of gas a day to the Turkish company and that "the deal is different from the current exports agreement" of supplying Turkey with 25 to 30 million cubic meters of gas, Iran’s state-run Press TV reported on Monday.
Without mentioning the name of the Turkish company, Oji said the Turkish firm needs Iranian natural gas to convert it into liquefied natural gas for supplying the Turkish market. The Iranian officials also said the gas deal will be signed this year.
According to the report, in January, the National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC) announced that Iran exported 8.25 billion cubic meters of gas to Turkey via pipeline in 2010.
Turkey, a close US ally that has an over 400 kilometer-long border with Iran, voted against the latest round of UN sanctions on the Islamic Republic in June after its joint efforts with Brazil to convince the West to seek a diplomatic solution to Iran’s nuclear program failed. Despite its disapproval of the sanctions, Turkey pledged to remain loyal to the decision taken by 12 votes in favor in the 15-member UN Security Council.
Turkish exports accounted for slightly more than 3 percent of the Islamic Republic’s imports, while natural gas imported from Iran made up 80 percent of Turkey’s Iranian imports last year.
