Turkey halts Turkmen gas imports via Iran under US pressure

Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar says US sanctions concerns prevented Ankara from resuming supplies through Iranian infrastructure Iranians work on a section of a gas pipeline linking Iran and Pakistan after the project was launched during a ceremony in the Iranian border city of Chah Bahar on March 11, 2013. (ATTA KENARE / AFP) Published date: 6 November 2026 07:01 GMT | Last update: 8 sec ago Turkey had to stop gas imports from Turkmenistan through Iran due to US pressure, Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar revealed on Thursday during a briefing with journalists. Ankara began receiving gas from Turkmenistan in March 2025 under a deal to supply 1.3 billion cubic metres annually using Iranian infrastructure. Turkish gas importer Botas had an import licence for the arrangement valid until 2033. However, Ashgabat cut the flow of gas in October 2025, saying the two countries had a short-term contract and that, without an agreement on volumes or prices, it could not sell gas to Ankara. Bayraktar said earlier this year that Ankara had planned to resume gas imports from Turkmenistan via Iran, but those plans did not materialise. He has now revealed that the real problem was the US-Iran war, which started in February. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters “Then we stopped because OFAC, (US Office of Foreign Assets Control), somehow involved in this,” he said. “And although we were not paying anything to Iran, the situation escalated between Iran and the US, that is flowing south now.” Bayraktar said Turkey has spare capacity in the Trans-Anatolian Gas Pipeline and could easily double the volume of gas exported to Europe. He added that Azerbaijan’s gas reserves were slowly being depleted and that Turkmenistan’s “abundant” gas could offer a viable alternative to meet the needs of both European partners and the Turkish market. Yet infrastructure challenges, including the dispute over exclusive economic zones in the Caspian Sea, make it harder to build a gas pipeline connecting Turkmenistan to Azerbaijan. Turkey’s own gas contracts with Iran are also expiring in November, and it remains unclear whether Ankara is ready to renew them. US sanctions targeting Iran intensified earlier this year, forcing countries in the region to take action against Iranian businesses and the financial sector. Middle East Eye delivers independent and unrivalled coverage and analysis of the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. To learn more about republishing this content and the associated fees, please fill out this form. More about MEE can be found here.