Iran's energy sector review

Iran, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany will hold next talks from 15 to 18 November. There is a great probability that these talks will be held in Vienna. The last round of talks on Iran's nuclear program in a designated format was held in October last year. However, over the last year, the positions of Iran and the West have changed significantly. At the next meeting, the negotiations will chaired by the representative of Germany, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton and Secretary General of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran Saeed Jalili. According to the spokesman of Iranian Foreign Ministry, Ramin Mehmanparast, the topic of the next discussions will be "a package of proposals" by Iran and the "5 +1" countries. According to him, it is possible that discussions will be conducted on a package of proposals by Iran, or the joint aspects of the package of proposals by the both s

The Russian President's decree, banning the transfer of air defense systems S-300, armored vehicles, combat aircrafts, helicopters and ships to Iran, does not mean that official Moscow carries out strategic cooperation with the West and turns its back on Iran. Medvedev's decree was adopted under the sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council against Iran (resolution 1929). Russia, as a permanent member of the organization, voted for this resolution. After the decree, signed by Russian President Medvedev, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, on a visit to New York to attend the UN General Assembly, said in his interview with media that Medvedev's decree does not mean the end of military cooperation between Russia and Iran. Earlier, a member of the public council of the Russian Ministry of Defence Igor Krochenko said in an interview with RIA Novosti that the cessation of military cooperation between Russia and Iran will cause Moscow damage at $13 billion. This

The intensive involvement of foreign companies in energy projects of Turkmenistan, the UN Security Council's sanctions against Tehran's nuclear program and as a consequence, the refusal of Europe and the United States from participation in energy projects of Iran, can leave Turkmenistan without a competitor in the field of energy security and transit. More active talks around the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India gas pipeline (TAPI), which completely left the prospect of the Iranian gas pipeline Peace in the shadow, is evidence to it. Development of Turkmenistan's energy projects with the participation of dozens of foreign companies brings this country to far ahead not only in natural gas exports, but also in the production of liquefied gas, in comparison to Iran. In early August, the Turkmen government newspaper Neutral Turkmenistan reported on the achievement of record in the production of liquefied gas - 75,000 tons per day- at the Naip refinery. Moreover, after

In recent years, due to yearly increasing demand for natural gas in India the country's activity in search of import sources of this type of fuel has markedly intensified. According to experts forecast, gas consumption in India will increase twice in the coming years. At present, 45.58 billion cubic meters from India's total gas consumption in the amount of 57.32 billion cubic meters, is provided by domestic sources. The remaining amount of gas is ensured by imports of liquefied gas, including by purchasing five billion cubic meters of LNG from Qatar - the largest producer of liquefied gas. However, despite the substitution of the deficient amounts of gas at the expense of LNG, Delhi considers several options for laying pipelines. These projects include: put forward even in the 1990s TAPI ( Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India ), gas pipeline "Peace" (Iran-Pakistan-India), MBI (Myanmar-Bangladesh-India), as well as an underwater gas pipeline from Qatar or Oma

The IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano once again noted the lack of transparency of Tehran's nuclear program in the report, which is the second on Iran's nuclear program since Yukiya Amano's appointment as head of the IAEA . Despite that the international community has welcomed Iran's consent on uranium exchange with the West, the report will likely affect the decision of the UN Security Council permanent members, discussing new economic sanctions against Iran, moreover, it may accelerate their adoption. Unlike the reports of former Egyptian head of the IAEA Mohamed ElBaradei , reports by his successor reflect deep concern over lack of transparency of Iran's nuclear program. The report states that Tehran avoids cooperation in clarifying the outstanding issues that give reason for concern about a possible military component of its nuclear program. It also tells about Iran's continuation of its plans to enrich uranium despite UN Security Council resolution (2006

Despite that Turkey and Iran signed an agreement on exchange of 1,200 kg of low-enriched uranium in the territory of Turkey, along with new hopes for resolving problems connected with Iran's nuclear program, there are uncertainties. During his visit to Greece, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that he canceled his visit to Iran. Erdogan described the main reason the unconstructive position of Iran on nuclear fuel. But two days after this statement, he canceled his visit to Azerbaijan and immediately left for Tehran. Brazilian President Lula da Silva, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Erdogan signed an agreement on the exchange of nuclear fuel on May 17. Of course, this step to some extent reduces the pessimism that exists between Iran and the international community, but on the other hand, the exchange of uranium may become a pretext for official Tehran to begin talks on nuclear program with the West. But the uncertainty in Iran's nuclear program still re

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned the Iranian President Ahmadinejad that he should not distract the attention of the conference regarding Treaty on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons ( NPT ), which will be held in New York, from its main goals. But this conference is the most suitable moment for the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to fully get prepared to oppose against the nuclear policies of the West and Israel. It is not expectable that the Iranian president, who at every opportunity attacks on the West and Israel, will sit at this meeting silent. The conference, which will begin on May 3, within 30 days will discuss the prevention of the proliferation of nuclear weapons, disarmament and the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. On all three items of the conference, Ahmadinejad can criticize the West and Israel. If to consider the negative attitude of Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) regarding the nuclear program of Israel, Ahmadinejad can gain their support.

The country has faced problems with the basic capital, technologies for oil and gas export and the realization of these products recently as a result of the international sanctions because of Iran's nuclear program and the pressure exerted by the U.S. on the world's major oil companies. In an interview with İSNA agency , Iran's Oil Export Union head Hamid Husseini confirmed that India, Japan and China have reduced oil import from Iran. He said that the Islamic republic must expand cooperation with small markets, countries and companies, because they are not under the U.S influence. Today, Iran sells 2.3 million barrels of oil daily, 85 percent of it falls to developed countries. The list of countries that receive more than 100,000 barrels of oil from Iran daily includes India (250,000 barrels), China (200,000 barrels), Japan (480,000 barrels), Italy (160,000 barrels), Spain (210,000 barrels) and France (100,000 barrels). They have political and economic relations with t

İsraeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman's dream on introduction of "paralyzing" sanctions and blockade with regards to Iran upon the example of the measures taken in 1960 by the United States against Cuba is not feasible because Tehran has a higher level of force. Despite West's dissatisfaction with the actions of the "waltzing" with the world community Iran, which takes two steps back after one steps forward on the issue of the nuclear program, introducing "paralyzing" sanctions against the Islamic Republic is not possible, and the discussed option of war is pathos, like the threat of nuclear attack on Vietnam by Nixon in 1968. According to the Foreign Minister of Israel, the U.S. can overthrow the regime in Iran, using direct "paralyzing" sanctions. And Lieberman, citing the example of the embargo, declared in 1960 by ex-President Eisenhower with regards to Cuba, "advised" Obama to take similar measures in the energy secto

India , whose energy demands grow every year, imports 350,000 barrels of oil per day from Iran and the trade turnover between two countries is about $13 billion per year (10 billion in the sphere of energy). Also, India cooperates with Israel in the military sphere and with the United States in the nuclear. Thus, it is difficult to determine on which side Delhi is, although the country's activities over the past five years suggest that it is gradually moving closer to the United States, but at the same time trying not to lose Iran as an alley. "Tehran has lost confidence in Delhi over the nuclear issue. We think that Delhi has taken a negative stance against Tehran ," Deputy Chairman of the Iranian Foreign Ministry's Research Center Mohammad Bagher Khorramshad told Ilna news agency Feb.22. Being a member of the IAEA board, India has so far voted for two resolutions against Iran. The IAEA's new Secretary General Yukiya Amano prepared a report on Iran's n

The Secretary-General of the conservative Islamic Coalition Party, Mohammad Nabi Habibi, who takes an active part and enjoys influence in the economy, market and business of Iran, has differentiated former Iranian president Hashemi Rafsanjani from Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karrubi, whom he described as “intrigue leaders”. On the one hand, Iranian pro-governmental radical forces’ attack on Rafsanjani, who has been known as the second personality in the country for a period of 30 years, and his family, and on the other hand, the support provided to him by the reformists and part of conservatives create such a question “what is Rafsanjani’s current weight and how will his political fate end?”. Akbar Behramani, who is known as Hashemi Rafsanjani, was the chief adviser of former Iranian religious leader Imam Khomeini and the first religious personality who three months after the overthrow of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi’s government stated that he would participate in the policy of mull