US opposes Iran's involvement in Nabucco project

The US has stated its opposition to Iran’s involvement in the Nabucco gas project, a pipeline initially intended to supply Azerbaijani gas to E.urope via Turkey, bypassing Russia, unless Washington’s relations with Tehran are normalized.

Richard Morningstar, the US special envoy for E.urasian energy issues, told a group of reporters in Ankara on Thursday that the US did not support Iran’s involvement in Nabucco or in any other projects because there is US legislation prohibiting the purchase of oil and gas from Iran under the Iran Sanctions Act.
Inviting Iran to the project without a resolution to the standoff over its nuclear program could “have a negative effect,” he noted.

“We don’t want to change our policy unless Iran changes its policy,” Morningstar said.

He also hinted an end to a dispute between Turkey and the E.uropean U.nion over gas transit fees, which has been affecting progress on the Nabucco project. “As I understand, there will not be a 15 percent lift off,” Morningstar said in reference to the previous Turkish demand to use 15 percent of the gas to be transported for domestic consumption at discounted prices.

His statement came despite the fact that Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yıldız was quoted in Turkish dailies on Thursday as saying that Turkey had not dropped its plans to purchase 15 percent of the gas exported to E.urope at discounted prices. When he was recalling the remarks of Yıldız, Morningstar said he did not want to contradict the Turkish energy minister.

Zaman