Payvand: Iran and Russia Have Conflicting Interests in Export of Gas to Europe

As far as the export of natural gas to Europe is concerned, Iran and Russia are serious rivals. Iran, due to sanctions is not a major exporter of gas at all; however, it has the potential to break the Russian dominance over the gas market in Europe. Flow of the huge gas resources of Iranian gas towards the EU region means the end of Russian domination over the gas market and a serious blow to the capability of Russia for making the European countries tolerate the Russians policies in the region. The growing hostility of the Western countries and Russia, and serious inclination of Russia to keep its monopoly in the European gas market, along with reliance of the Islamic regime in Iran on the Russian support, puts Iranian government in a difficult situation regarding gas exports to Europe.

Some of the officials of the Iranian government have recently shown signs of being interested in supplying gas through the Caspian Sea and other possible routes to the European countries. At the same time, some of the representatives of the Iranian parliament are talking about a bill to ban export of gas to the EU countries, under the pretext that they are implementing the instructions of the Supreme Leader of the Iranian regime about retaliating the European sanctions through imposing sanctions against the EU.

Iran, as a country that has 2nd largest natural gas reserves of the world (after Russia) possesses the potentials to play a serious role in the gas market of the region and the world. For the same reason, the Russians are putting pressure on Iran not to enter this market. Certain hardliner political factions in Iran also are putting pressure on the regime to refrain from creating troubles for the Russians, who have been the ally of the Iranian regime in many cases in the history of the Islamic Republic in Iran. MORE