TEHRAN, Iran, May, 21
Trend:
The Omani side, which is seeking the Iranian gas, is very much impacted by US sanctions and is waiting for the outcome of the Vienna talks, Deputy Director for Gas Marketing and Operation of National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) said.
The gas export project to Oman is not a contract, it is a memorandum and if the sanctions will be resolved, we will build the pipeline to Oman, Mehran Amirmoeini said, Trend reports citing ILNA.
“The continuation of the pipeline from Oman to other countries needs to be negotiated,” he added.
"So far, we have not seriously pursued the issue of marketing outside Oman with the Omani side,” Amirmoeini noted. “The continuation of the pipeline to Yemen and even other countries needs to be renegotiated.”
He went on to say that the negotiations have been stopped for two years and no progress has been made.
“Everyone is waiting for the sanctions to be lifted,” he stressed.
Amirmoeini announced that the volume of gas that will be export via the pipeline to Oman is more than 40 million cubic meters per day.
“Maybe 7 to 8 million cubic meters will be exported in the first phase and the rest will be sent to the neighboring countries, especially Yemen,” he said.
He explained that the gas pipeline to Oman must pass through deep water and requires special technology, while pipe vessels operate in deep water are limited to certain companies.
He stressed that if the sanctions will be lifted, Iran can access the Oman market through shallow water through the UAE.