TEHRAN, November 8. /TASS/. Iran intends to build a gas pipeline with Russia in the long term, targeting a capacity of up to 110 bln cubic meters, Ambassador to Moscow Kazem Jalali said.
"The long-term goal is to construct a separate pipeline for Russian gas supplies to Iran, with a final capacity of 110 bln cubic meters, and an initial phase capacity of 55 bln cubic meters within two to three years," the ambassador said on Iranian state television.
Natural gas cooperation between the two countries will develop in two stages, Jalali said. In the short term, utilizing existing infrastructure would require pipeline restoration and trilateral cooperation with Azerbaijan, which will take time. Consequently, a swap scheme is being considered as the fastest option, whereby Russia delivers gas to northern Azerbaijan, and an equivalent volume is transferred to Iran from the south of that country.