Iran willing to export natural gas to Ukraine

Iranian ambassador to Ukraine Akbar Qasemi Aliabadi said Iran has large gas reserves and is ready to supply natural gas to Ukraine, Tehran Times reported Saturday.

"Both Ukraine and Moldova need natural gas, and Iran has huge gas reserves and is ready to consider future supplies of fuel to the two countries," reported Xinhua quoting Qasemi Aliabadi as saying.

At present, Ukraine secures a major portion of its required gas through imports from Russia.

Also, Iran's former oil minister Gholam Hossein Nozari said the new Iranian administration should focus on exporting natural gas as its trump card in regional and international relations, according to the report.

The country should seriously plan to boost natural gas exports to its neighbouring countries and even to Europe, said Nozari.

The US and the west have slapped different kinds of sanctions on Iran's oil and gas exports and financial sectors over the country's sensitive nuclear activities.