Iran’s deputy oil minister has said gas export to neighbouring countries is a high priority for the Islamic Republic, adding that Tehran is ready to resume gas sale talks with the GCC states and Kuwait in particular.
The official has also asserted that gas exports to India and China has a higher priority for Iran over supplies to customers in Europe.
“Shipment of natural gas to neighbouring countries remains as a top priority for Iran,” Amir Hossein Zamaninia has been quoted by a local media report as saying.
Since last year, talks with certain GCC states over exports of natural gas have been locked in a stalemate, despite Iran’s readiness to resume bilateral exchanges and gas supplies, Zamaninia said.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani was on an official visit to Oman on Wednesday at the official invitation of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, although it remained unclear if he did visit Kuwait later yesterday to meet the Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah.
Iran has begun talks with Oman over exports of at least 10bn cubic metres of natural gas and certain agreements have been also reached between the two sides over construction of a subsea pipeline.
Meanwhile, speaking on the sideline of a meeting with his Omani counterpart Mohammed Al Rumhi last week in Tehran, Iran’s oil minister Bijan Zanganeh said the pipeline for gas exports to Oman will circumvent territorial waters of Qatar and is estimated to cost about $1.2bn.
