January 08, 2008	Tuesday	Zilhaj 28, 1428

ANKARA: Iran on Monday halted gas shipments to Turkey as Tehran battles high domestic consumption and a cut in supplies from Turkmenistan during a cold snap, a Turkish industry official said.

“Gas shipments from Iran stopped this morning,” an official from the state-owned oil and gas company BOTAS said, “but we have taken measures to ensure there is no problem in the domestic demand and supply balance.” Last week, Iran was forced to slash gas exports to Turkey from 20 million cubic metres a day to 5.0 million cubic metres as heavy snowfall and sub-zero temperatures increased demand and caused gas cuts in around a dozen Iranian cities and towns.

The problem was compounded by a total halt in gas supplies from Turkmenistan, which Ashgabat described as “temporary” and linked to pipeline maintenance.

In January 2007, Iran was forced to shut down gas exports to Turkey for five days to compensate for a domestic consumption crunch.

Turkey has been buying gas from Iran via a pipeline from the north-western Iranian city of Tabriz to Ankara since December 2001 under a deal that raised eyebrows in the United States.—AFP