TEHRAN- Iran exported over five billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas during the first five months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21-August 22), a 64 percent rise from 3.2 bcm in the same period of time last year, according to a gas official.

Mehdi Jamshidi Dana, the dispatching director of National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC), put the country’s daily gas export at 34.8 million cubic meters (mcm) during the five-month period this year and at 21.3 mcm in the same time span of the previous year, Shana news agency reported.

NIGC Managing Director Hamid Araqi last month said the country’s daily gas export has hit 42 mcm and noted that Iran reached this amount of gas export after starting export to Iraq (in late June).

Referring to the NIGC’s plans for the next Iranian calendar year (to begin on March 21, 2018), Araqi said exports to the neighboring countries will continue based on their contracts, while the amount of gas export and also target countries are planned to increase.
 
Iranian Deputy Oil Minister for International Affairs and Trading Amir-Hossein Zamaninia told IRNA in early July that neighboring countries and India are Iran’s top priority for gas exports and Europe is not one for now.

MA/MG