Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 8
By Umid Niayesh - Trend:
Gas export to the Europe is a long-term issue for Iran, Amir Hossein Zamaninia, the Islamic Republic's deputy oil minister said.
Tehran has no plan to export gas to the European countries in the near future, the official said, the Iranian oil ministry's official SHANA news agency reported Sept. 8.
Iran's first priority for the time being is exporting gas to neighboring countries and regional states, Zamaninia added.
He further said that it is affordable for Tehran both politically and economically.
Iran holds 33.8 trillion cubic meters of proven natural gas reserves- or 18.2 percent of the world's total proven reserves.
The country has been pursuing multiple projects for years to pipe natural gas to Europe. The most serious project was Nabucco which was pursued by an international consortium led by Austria's OMV.
Iran had been originally designated in Nabucco as a key supplier for future exports to Europe. However, the country was sidelined from the scheme in 2008 due to a series of complications that emerged - the most important of which were international sanctions that banned foreign investments in Iran 's energy sector.
Edited by CN
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