Russia-Iran gas deal nears finish line, Tehran says

Iran and Russia are in the final stage of finalizing a long-awaited agreement on the supply of Russian natural gas to the Islamic Republic, Iranian Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad said following talks with Russian Energy Minister Sergei Tsivilev in Tehran.

Speaking on the sidelines of the meeting, Paknejad said the two countries had reached agreement on the core provisions of the contract and were working to complete its formalization as quickly as possible, Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media.

"The main provisions of the final gas trade agreement between Iran and Russia have been agreed upon, and planning has been carried out to complete its finalization as quickly as possible," Paknejad said in comments to Iran's state broadcaster.

According to the minister, expanding bilateral energy cooperation was the central focus of his discussions with Tsivilev.

"We discussed investments by Russian companies in Iran's oil and gas fields. Solutions have been developed for a number of existing issues, and their implementation has already been included on the agenda," Paknejad said.

The planned gas supply project was first outlined in January 2025, when Tsivilev announced that Moscow and Tehran had agreed on the route of a pipeline that would transport Russian gas to Iran via Azerbaijan. At the time, he said negotiations had entered the final stage of agreeing on the pricing terms.

Initial deliveries are expected to total up to 2 billion cubic metres of gas annually, with the potential to increase to 55 billion cubic metres in the longer term.

In August 2025, Iranian Ambassador to Russia Kazem Jalali told TASS that he hoped Russian gas supplies to Iran via Azerbaijan would begin in the near future, adding that nearly all outstanding issues with Gazprom had already been resolved.

By Vafa Guliyeva