Iran Focus
The accord covers the development of three phases — 22, 23 and 24 — in Iran's South Pars offshore gas field with Turkish investment as well as gas transfer to Europe via Turkey at a rate of 35 billion cubic metres a year.
It envisages the joint construction of a 1,850-kilometre (1,200-mile) pipeline from the southern Gulf port of Assaluyeh, off where South Pars lies, to the Bazargan border area with Turkey in northwest Iran.
Iranian Oil Minister Gholam Hossein Nozari and his Turkish counterpart Hilmi Guler signed the accord in Tehran. Guller arrived in Tehran on 15 November in a bid to secure the accord.
"It was agreed that 50 percent of the gas from these (three South Pars) phases be sold to Turkey," Nozari said, quoted by the oil ministry's news website Shana in a joint press conference with Guler.
Iran's hard-line president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad late on Sunday said that there was no obstacle to further expansion of cooperation between Iran and Turkey.
Ahmadinejad said his visit to Turkey in August was "crucial", "determining" and in line with Tehran-Ankara bilateral interest.
Each phase of South Pars gas field has been designed to produce 25 million cubic metres of gas a day.
Turkey already buys gas via a conduit from the north-western Iranian city of Tabriz to Ankara at a rate of around 10 billion cubic metres a year.
Iran itself imports around 25 million cubic metres of gas a day from Turkmenistan.
The initial gas deal in 2007 was criticised by Washington, which urges its allies — including NATO member Turkey — to cut business with Iran over Tehran's controversial nuclear programme.
Based in part on wire reports.
