TEHRAN – Iran’s gas export to Armenia was postponed to next winter due to a delay in pipe-laying operations.

Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad and his Armenian counterpart, Robert Kocharian, opened the pipeline's first section at a ceremony near the border.

Under the first stage of the project, Iran will annually export some 400m cubic meters of gas, which will be increased up to 3.2 billion cubic meters when the 141km link is completed.

The 100 km Iranian section runs from Tabriz to Iran-Armenia border. The Armenian section runs from Meghri region to Sardarian.