Suitable Conditions Required for Iranian Gas to Europe

Natural gas from Iran is available for the European community if it meets "suitable conditions," the Iranian president said Thursday.

Speaking during a state visit to Azerbaijan, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that Europe would have itself to blame if it didn't have enough energy.

"If the European states have any problem in this regard, they have to solve it for themselves," he was quoted in Iran's official Islamic Republic News Agency as saying.

Iran said it would like to ship its natural gas through the Nabucco pipeline for Europe, however Nabucco's backers have said that the geopolitical climate is not right for Iranian participation.

Iran has some of the largest natural gas deposits in the world, though sanctions imposed as punishment for a controversial nuclear program are keeping investors and international energy companies away.

Nevertheless, Ahmadinejad said he would deal with the European community if conditions were right.

"The Europeans need Iranian gas and we don't insist on exporting it to European states," he was quoted as saying. "If they want the gas, we will sell them but in suitable conditions."

Source: UPI