Rosneft, Gazprom Neft and Tatneft may begin delivering gasoline to Iran in a month, the head of the Iran Commission of the Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Industry said Thursday.
Talks are being held on a “working level” and the first delivery may take place in late August or September, Rajab Safarov said in an interview.
“We’re talking about serious deliveries,” Safarov said. “Obviously U.S. and European Union sanctions open up a niche.” Iranian Oil Minister Masoud Mir-Kazemi traveled to Moscow earlier this month to sign a “road map” on Russian energy cooperation for the next 30 years. While the Kremlin in June supported United Nations sanctions over Iran’s nuclear program, Russia criticized additional measures adopted by the United States and the EU targeting the Iranian energy industry.
“Right now logistics, bank guarantees and pricing are being worked out,” Safarov said.
Until now, only small and medium-sized traders have been delivering Russian gasoline to Iran, Safarov said. Bigger contracts with state involvement are becoming necessary as demand for gasoline grows, he said.
Vladlen Voskoboinikov, director of international financial reporting for Tatneft, said he was not familiar with the talks. Spokesmen for Rosneft were not available, and the Gazprom Neft press office declined to comment.
Energy Ministry spokeswoman Irina Yesipova declined to comment, saying talks were up to the companies.
