Iran announced on Sunday that it had concluded a contract with Russia to supply it with 40 turbines with the aim of helping it in the gas industry, in light of Western sanctions imposed on Moscow after its war on Ukraine.
The Iranian Oil Ministry news agency (SHANA) quoted the CEO of the Gas Development and Engineering Company, Reza Noshadi, as saying that Iran's economic successes "are not limited to the missile and drone sectors."
He added, "Currently 85 percent of the facilities and equipment needed by the gas industry are manufactured in the country, and based on these capabilities, a contract was recently signed to export 40 turbines to Russia."
Noshady did not indicate the date of signing the contract with Moscow, or the date of delivery of the turbines.
Russia has reduced or stopped its gas supplies to various European countries, which have been subjected to economic sanctions, which has led to higher energy prices.
The Kremlin insists that sanctions have prevented maintenance work on Russian gas infrastructure and the recovery of a Siemens turbine that was undergoing repairs in Canada.
During the Vladivostok forum, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in September, "Give us a turbine, and we'll run Nord Stream the next day," referring to the gas pipeline between Russia and Germany.
Western countries accuse Moscow of using gas as a "weapon".
The CEO of the Iranian Gas Development and Engineering Company returned to say that the US sanctions against Russia aim to exclude it from the gas market.
"In recent years, the United States has built large-scale LNG production facilities. Recently, with the comprehensive embargo against Russia and then the explosion of the Nord Stream gas pipeline, it has effectively eliminated one of its biggest competitors in the field of gas exports," Noshadi added.
Russia and Iran have huge gas reserves but are subject to strict US sanctions, and the two countries have stressed in recent months the importance of enhancing their bilateral cooperation.
Putin visited Tehran in July, where he met his Iranian counterpart, Ebrahim Raisi, and the country's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, who also called for "long-term cooperation" with Moscow.
Tehran recently denied supplying Russia with weapons after Kyiv and its Western partners accused Moscow of using Iranian-made drones to launch attacks in Ukraine.