Iraq in Negotiation with Iran to Transfer Gas from Turkmenistan

Iraq Minister of Electricity Ziad Ali Fadel has announced ongoing negotiations regarding the transit of gas from Turkmenistan through Iran to Iraq and according to a report by Iran Oil Gas, Iraq may receive Turkmen gas as early as this summer if agreed by the partners concerned. In November 2023, representatives of Turkmenistan and Iraq signed a protocol outlining the principal commercial terms of the agreement to enable the shipment of 9 billion cubic meters of Turkmen gas to Iraq through Iran within five years. In January 2024 it was reported that Iraq had completed all the steps necessary to begin importing gas from Turkmenistan. The main reason for postponement of delivery as scheduled lies with the need for a comprehensive agreement to be reached with the transit country Iran. With reference to the country’s gas debt with Iran, the Iraq Ministry of Energy stated, “The Ministry of Electric Energy has paid all gas payments to the Iranian side and deposited them in a special account in [an] Iraqi commercial bank. But the payment process has not been completed due to international sanctions. Now, based on the agreement between the two sides, Iranian gas is being replaced by Iraqi crude oil.”