The realism of the recently announced gas agreement between russia and Iran is questionable due to the lack of the necessary infrastructure and significant financial obstacles.
Industry expert Maksym Hardus writes about this in his article “The russian-Iranian Gas Alliance: A Real Project or a Political Illusion?”
The main problem is the lack of ready-made routes for transporting the planned volumes of gas. The construction of new gas pipelines will require multi-billion investments, which none of the countries under sanctions can afford.
It is also worth noting that the proposed route involves transit through the territory of Azerbaijan, but official Baku has not yet commented on its participation in the project.
The expert also draws attention to the paradox of the situation: Iran, which has the second largest natural gas reserves in the world (about 33 trillion cubic meters), is itself suffering from an energy crisis. In December 2024, the country faced large-scale power outages, which led to a partial shutdown of industry and the transition of state institutions to a reduced work regime.
“Declarations about a large-scale gas partnership between russia and Iran are more political than economic in nature. It is important for both countries to demonstrate that they are not isolated,” Hardus writes.
