Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Mehdi Safari told the European Parliament that Iran was looking for closer energy ties with the EU.

In Brussels on Jan-20 to meet EU lawmakers and officials, AP reports Safari as saying, “We are ready to contribute, we are ready for a dialogue.”

Safari was promoting Iran as both a transit country and a possible supplier of gas to the EU. Iran has the world’s second largest gas reserves. These are currently undeveloped and are likely to remain so as long as Iran faces sanctions imposed in response to its enrichment of nuclear material.

The move comes shortly after the recently settled gas dispute between Russia and the Ukraine left parts of the EU without gas in the middle of winter for over two weeks. This has pushed energy security high up the agenda of many EU leaders and officials.

One way to reduce EU reliance on Russian gas is the construction of the proposed Nabucco pipeline. This would run from the Caspian Basin to the EU. But it makes little economic sense unless Iranian gas flows into it.

Meanwhile, Frence’s Le Monde reported Jan-19 that France and the UK have been attempting to get EU embargos on Iran expanded to include all equipment and technology that could be useful to the oil industry.

Le Monde said:

Having failed in their attempt for now due to the lack of a European consensus, French and British officials seem to be focusing on another objective – banning the activities of Iran’s Saderat and Mellat banks from the EU’s territory.

The EU would appear to be caught between a rock and a hard place.

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