A senior Iranian official has announced the planned visit by a Pakistani delegation to the country for high-profile natural gas deal.

Managing Director of the National Iranian Gas Exports Company (NIGEC)�Alireza Kameli said Monday that the Pakistani delegation�s planned visit is aimed at finalizing gas agreements between Tehran and Islamabad.

Kameli said initial agreements were made over negotiations between the Iranian petroleum minister and Pakistani officials during a recent visit by Iran�s President Hassan Rouhani and some of his cabinet members to Islamabad.

�In the negotiations, it was decided for the Pakistani delegation to finalize the agreements soon during their trip to Iran, so that the export of Iranian gas to Pakistan begins,� IRNA quoted the official as saying.

On Saturday, the Iranian president told reporters in Islamabad that a pipeline which has for long been projected to take gas to Pakistan has already been completed on the Iranian side.

Rouhani said this has put the Islamic Republic in a position to provide its southeastern neighbor with natural gas within only a few months.

While Iran has completed its part of the gas pipeline project with a total investment of above $2 billion of investment, Pakistan has fallen behind the target to take delivery of gas, initially scheduled for 2014.

The joint project was launched in 2010 and aims to construct 1,800 kilometers (over 1,100 miles) of pipeline from Iran to Pakistan.

Iran plans to deliver 21.5 mcm/d of gas to Pakistan through the project.

Trade between Pakistan and Iran fell to $432 million in 2010-11 from $1.32 billion in 2008-09, according to the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan.

Energy-starved Pakistan suffers about 12 hours of power cuts per day and is keen to import Iranian oil, gas, iron and steel.

Iran is interested in Pakistani textiles, surgical goods, sports goods and agricultural products.

By Press TV