ANKARA - It was not wise to rely on Iran as either a supplier of natural gas or as a transit country, a spokesperson for the US embassy in Ankara said Monday.
Commenting on a memorandum of understanding signed between Turkey and Iran on the weekend that foresees natural gas from Turkmenistan being pumped through Iran to Turkey and then for export, US embassy spokesperson Kathy Schalow indicated problems could arise.
Schalow said that International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) sanctions on Iran due to its controversial nuclear energy program could become an issue and an increasing dependency on Iran as a source or corridor of natural gas seemed unwise.
The US would continue to work with Turkey in enhancing the energy sources in the Caspian basin and developing an infrastructure that bypassed Iran for the transportation of the energy originating from this area to Europe, she said.
