- City Fajr Shuruq Duhr Asr Magrib Isha
- Dubai 04:09 05:31 12:18 15:42 19:00 20:22
The Turkish side wants to clarify the forms of investment and more details of the co-operation. (AFP)
Turkey has asked for a three-month extension of a deadline to help clarify the details of a $3.5 billion (Dh12.84bn) deal to develop part of the world's largest gas field in Iran, an Iranian news agency said yesterday.
Earlier, a Turkish industry source had said Tehran had given state oil company Turkish Petroleum a one-month deadline to finalise the agreement regarding three phases of the South Pars natural gas field in the Gulf.
But Iranian Oil Minister Massoud Mirkazemi suggested Ankara was now seeking a further extension.
"We had an agreement, which will end next month but the Turkish side requested to extend the deadline for another three months to clarify the forms of investment and more details of the cooperation," ISNA news agency quoted him as saying.
He was speaking during a visit by Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan to Iran.
On Tuesday, Turkey's Energy Minister Taner Yildiz was quoted as saying that Turkey would start exploration work on South Pars in November in a project to export gas to Europe.
The Turkish and Iranian governments agreed in July 2007 that Turkish Petroleum would produce an annual 20.4 billion cubic metres of natural gas from three South Pars development phases.
The deal has been by objections from Turkey's ally the US, which opposes new energy deals in Iran to isolate Tehran over its nuclear programme.
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