{
  "id": 18456863,
  "title": "Turkey halts Turkmen gas imports via Iran under US pressure",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/06/turkey-halts-turkmen-gas-imports-via-iran-under-us-pressure",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-06T07:01:16.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Middle East Eye",
    "slug": "middle-east-eye",
    "url": "https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/turkey-halts-turkmen-gas-imports-iran-under-us-pressure"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Turkey has halted the import of Turkmen gas via Iran under pressure from the United States, according to Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar. The minister revealed this during a briefing with journalists on Thursday. Ankara had begun receiving gas from Turkmenistan in March 2025 under a deal to supply 1.3 billion cubic meters annually using Iranian infrastructure. The Turkish gas importer Botas held an import license for this arrangement, valid until 2033. However, Ashgabat reduced the flow of gas in October 2025, citing a short-term contract and a lack of agreement on volumes or prices. This prompted Turkey to halt the imports.\n\nBayraktar stated that plans to resume gas imports from Turkmenistan via Iran had not materialized, attributing the halt to US-Iran tensions that escalated in February. He noted that the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) became involved in the situation, leading to the halt despite Turkey not being a direct party to the payments to Iran. Turkey currently has spare capacity in the Trans-Anatolian Gas Pipeline, which could allow it to double the volume of gas exported to Europe. Additionally, Bayraktar mentioned that Azerbaijan's gas reserves are dwindling, and Turkmenistan's abundant gas could serve as a viable alternative to meet the needs of European partners and the Turkish market.\n\nHowever, infrastructure challenges, including disputes over exclusive economic zones in the Caspian Sea, complicate the construction of a gas pipeline connecting Turkmenistan to Azerbaijan. Turkey's own gas contracts with Iran are set to expire in November, and it remains uncertain whether Ankara will renew them. US sanctions against Iran intensified earlier in the year, prompting regional countries to take action against Iranian businesses and the financial sector. Energy Istanbul reported this news on Monday, May 4, 2020.",
  "summary": "Turkey halts Turkmen gas imports via Iran under US pressure Submitted by Ragip Soylu on Fri, 11/06/2026 - 06:45 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…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": "Washington's intensifying sanctions against Iran are effectively dictating regional energy flows, forcing Turkey to abandon transit deals and complicating its ability to supply European partners with Turkmen gas.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}