Iran, Iraq to Sign Second Gas Deal on Nov.11

Tehran and Baghdad will sign an agreement on November 11, aimed at exporting 25 million cubic meters per day (mcm/d) of Iranian gas to Iraq's Basra, a media report says.

Iran and Iraq have already signed an agreement on delivering 25 mcm/d of Iranian gas to Iraq's capital, Baghdad.

Iranian petrochemical news agency Shana reported November 10 that the two sides are currently in negotiations to increase this volume to 35 mcm/d in future, which would bring Iran's exports of gas to Baghdad and Basra to export 60 mcm/d in future.

In September, Azizollah Ramezani, the director for international affairs department for the National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC), said that as per an annexation to the gas export deal, the volume of gas expected to be supplied to Baghdad City would increase to 35 mcm per day from 25 mcm.

The two sides have held talks about the Iranian side offering technical, financial, and executive training to Iraqi personnel.

Ramezani said August 15 that NIGC has prepared the draft of a much-awaited agreement with Iraq to export natural gas to the country. Ramezani added that the text of the agreement would be forwarded to the relevant authorities for final approval.

In 2013, the two countries signed an agreement for the export of natural gas from Iran's South Pars gas field to Baghdad. The project has been long in the offing but had been delayed over security concerns in Iraq.