Gas for Italy: goodbye Russia, ahead with Iran?
Parliament's suggestions via Copasir on Iran have aroused interest and a stir. Here are the first reactions
In its Report on the consequences of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine in the field of energy security , published yesterday, the Copasir (Parliamentary Committee for the Security of the Republic) dedicated a few lines to Iran. Which, in the context of Italy's detachment from Russian gas imports, now in the majority, could "go back to being a leading partner, taking into account the size of the gas fields in which its territory is rich", it is written in the Committee's report.
WHAT COPASIR WRITES ABOUT IRAN
“Italy”, the document reads, “could take advantage of the excellent commercial relations with this country”, namely Iran, “which could constitute a further alternative outlet for the procurement of gas to replace the Russian one. Tehran, however, has expressed its intention to build a fleet of LNG carriers and ships with the aim of developing its own LNG industry [ liquefied gas , ed ] and therefore this prospect could also represent an opportunity for the Italian market ”.
"Moreover", Copasir continues in its report, "this would restore a relationship that has already been experienced in the past given that up to the early 2000s – when international sanctions were tightened – Iran contributed significantly to supply lines. of gas for Italy ".
The Committee also writes that the war in Ukraine "has provided a new impetus for the resumption of nuclear agreements between the United States and Iran which, although opposed by Israel and some Arab countries, could give rise to new balances in the game. energy ".
THE CONTEXT, IN BRIEF
The attention paid by Copasir to Iran arouses curiosity, because it seems that the government, in the plan for the detachment from Russian hydrocarbons, wants to avoid further underestimating foreign policy: at least so said the Prime Minister Mario Draghi during a question to the Chamber of Deputies last month.
Iran is currently under sanctions, mainly from the United States; the European Union has also imposed restrictions on the country due to human rights violations committed. Then there are (complex) negotiations underway to reactivate the 2015 nuclear deal: the United States withdrew in 2017; in response, Iran began violating its uranium enrichment terms, a necessary step in building the atomic bomb.
CAN IRAN BE A GAS SUPPLIER?
Indeed, Iran has large reserves of natural gas. On Twitter, however, Annalisa Perteghella , analyst at the Ecco think tank and former research fellow at ISPI, specializing in Middle Eastern issues, explained that "Iranian gas production almost entirely satisfies domestic demand, in the short-medium term it is difficult "That can offer itself as a supplier to Italy. “It is also complex at the infrastructural level,” he added.
Also on Twitter Jacopo Scita, fellow at Durham University's School of Government and International Affairs, summarizes as follows: “On the fly, on Iran's role as an alternative supplier: Could it? Yes, potentially. Can it now? I would say no. Will he be able? Hard". However, he acknowledges that Copasir "says a true thing" about the existence of good relations between Rome and Tehran.
According to Scita, therefore, "the current political and technical conditions, as well as the high level of future uncertainty, severely limit their real replacement potential".
On the possibility of a rapid restoration of the nuclear deal (Copasir speaks of a "new push for recovery), the analyst says:" I do not claim to have better sources than the Italian 007 and I would be happy if there really was a positive impulse for a return to the JCPOA, but this step seems to me, at best, wishful thinking “.
THE TWEET OF ESPOSITO, ALREADY VICE-PRESIDENT OF COPASIR
Commenting on the analysis on Iran contained in the Copasir report, Giuseppe Esposito – who was, as a center-right parliamentarian, vice president of the Committee from 2013 to 2018 – published on his profile a screenshot of an article by Repubblica entitled: Copasir, gli business of Urso's company which thrived only with Iran .
Adolfo Urso, senator of the Brothers of Italy, is the current president of Copasir, since June 2021.
LE DIATRIBE LEGA-BROTHERS OF ITALY
In May of last year Matteo Salvini declared – while there was talk of replacing the League's president of the Committee, Raffaele Volpi, with an exponent of the Brothers of Italy after the birth of the Draghi government – that "the League will never give its consent to someone who has friendship with a regime like the Iranian one who would like to wipe out Israel ”(relations between Tel Aviv and Tehran are hostile). He added that "the Committee must be led by someone above suspicion and far from certain friendships."
The speakers of Copasir's latest report on energy security were Senator Paolo Arrigoni and MP Federica Dieni. Dieni belongs to the 5 Star Movement, while Arrigoni is a member of the Lega; he is also a member of the thirteenth permanent commission of the Senate (Territory, environment, environmental assets), which also deals with energy.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/energia/copasir-iran/ on Thu, 28 Apr 2022 10:35:00 +0000.