First stage of Iran-Iraq gas pipeline completed

The first part of a natural gas pipeline between Iran and Iraq has been completed, the head of Iranian gas development has said. Ali-Reza Gharibi, managing director of the Iranian Gas Development and Engineering Company, told the IRNA news agency on Saturday: "The initial testing phase of the 97km long and 47 inch wide pipeline in Iran has begun." Iran will export 4 to 7 million cubic meters of gas daily through the pipeline to Iraq, increasing to 25 million cubic meters within three years. Iran aims to export an annual 80 billion cubic meters of natural gas to Asia and Europe by 2020. Roughly 90 percent of Iran's gas exports currently go to Turkey, amounting to around 10 billion cubic meters per year.