SHANA� National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC) says Iran will soon start sending its gas to Iraq's city of Basra.

According to Mashal Weekly, NIGC's Director of Planning Mohammad Reza Ghodsizadeh said Iran's gas exports are expected to reach 68 bcm/y by 2022, end of the 6th National Development Plan.

Iran started exporting 7 mcm/d of natural gas to Iraq's Baghdad in June.

He said exports to Iraq will reach 14 mcm/d by sending gas to Basra, adding Iran's export of gas to Iraq will reach nearly 40 mcm/d.

Iranian Deputy Oil Minister for International Affairs and Trading Amir-Hossein Zamaninia told IRNA early July that neighboring countries and India are Iran�s top priority for gas exports and Europe is not one for now.

The deputy minister believes that since Europe receives gas even more than its demand, so for the time being it is not considered a good market for Iran.

�Of course as the country with the most natural gas reserves in the worlds we should have a long term plan for gaining some share in Europe�s market,� Zamaninia noted.

Iran has the world�s largest natural gas reserves holding around 18 percent of total proven natural gas reserves globally, according to British Petroleum's (BP) Statistical Review of World Energy 2017 report.