A senior US official rules out the possibility of Iran's participation in Nabucco, saying the gas pipeline consortium would reject Tehran's involvement, Press TV reported.
"I don't think there would ever be agreement at this point among the Nabucco consortium for Iranian participation at this time," Richard Morningstar, the US tate Department's Special Envoy for Eurasian Energy told the Senate Foreign Relations committee Thursday.
"Some countries in that region would like to see Iran participate," he said, but added, "I don't think anybody expects participation now," Reuters quoted Morningstar as saying.
On the other hand the US official welcomed the idea of Iraqi gas for the pipeline.
Morningstar said it was "significant" that Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki expressed interest this week in supplying Iraqi gas to Nabucco.
Some EU countries and Turkey signed a transit deal for the Nabucco pipeline in Ankara on Monday.
The 3,300-kilometer (2,050-mile) pipeline will bring Caspian and Central Asian gas to Europe and is meant to reduce the European Union's dependence on Russian natural gas.