Iran to export gasoline to Iraq

Iran’s Deputy Oil Minister Alireza Zeighami has announced the Islamic Republic’s plans to export 1.5 million liters of gasoline per day to Iraq, following a contract signed by the two countries.

Based on the contract, Iran will export 1.5 million liters (396,260 gallons) of gasoline per day to Iraq for one year, Zeighami told Mehr news agency on Wednesday.

The Iranian official also expressed Iran’s readiness to provide Iraq’s power plants with gasoline in the long-term.

Zeighami said negotiations were underway to increase Iran’s gasoline export to Iraq two-fold, adding that if “a final agreement is reached, increasing exports [to Iraq] to a ceiling of three million liters per day is possible.”

The agreement was signed by Zeighami and Iraq’s Deputy Electricity Minister Raed al-Hares on Wednesday.

Commenting on the terrorist attack against an Iranian delegation on Wednesday, Zeighami said the attack had not interrupted the delegation’s oil plans.

Iran’s delegation, which arrived in Iraq on Wednesday to discuss Tehran’s potential long-term oil exports to its western neighbor, was attacked by gunmen on the outskirts of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad.

The attack took place after the delegation met with officials from the Iraqi Ministry of Oil and was heading to the Iraqi Ministry of Electricity.

The delegation however was able to escape the attack unscathed.