TEHRAN, March 14: Officials from Iran, Pakistan and India began talks on Tuesday in Tehran on a pipeline project for the export of Iranian natural gas to South Asia, the oil ministry news agency reported.

“The main subjects of the talks will be the framework of the project and the price of gas,” Deputy Oil Minister Hadi Nejad Hosseinian was quoted as saying by the Shana news agency.

“In case of an agreement, a memorandum will be written and submitted to the oil ministers of these countries,” said Nejad Hosseinian, who is meeting with the Indian and Pakistani deputy oil ministers.

The talks on the pipeline, which would supply gas from Iran’s massive South Pars offshore fields, are expected to run until March 15.

The 2,600-kilometre pipeline, estimated to cost more than $7 billion, was first proposed in 1994.— AFP