Iran Ready To Supply Natural Gas To Lebanon

Iran has offered to revamp Lebanon's refineries as well as invest in gas and water projects in the country. A senior adviser to Lebanon's energy minister said that representatives from the two countries will meet today to talk about the offer.

Majid Namjoo, the Iranian Energy Minister, will hold a meeting with his Lebanese counterpart Gebran Bassil today in Beirut to discuss collaboration, stated Raymond Ghajar during an interview.

“They are interested to further investigate what they can do in the water sector, the dams, the electricity sector, gas supplies and the rehabilitation of the refineries,” Ghajar told, while adding, “These are massive, mega projects,” without providing details of the nature of the expected cooperation.

There are two major political blocks in Lebanon- one led by Hezbollah organization and the other one supported by Syria and Iran. Hezbollah has control over most of the southern part of the country and has representation in the parliament, while the other alliance has the backing of Saudi Arabia and the US. Lebanon faces extreme power shortages of up to 15 hours per day on some occasions, following a 15-year civil war ending in 1990 and the conflict with Israel four years ago.

Iranian officials say that they want to assist Lebanon with the refurbishment of its two refineries, which are currently being used for storage purposes only. Tehran has also offered to export natural gas to Lebanon, in cooperation with Turkey and Syria.