The signal is also likely to be aimed at Washington, which has previously opposed any deals with Iran. Certainly, Aliev would welcome some help in untying the knot that has been created by competing pipeline plans. One implication is that exports of Azeri gas to Iran could help Tehran when it starts to supply gas to Turkey under a contract for deliveries which will start next July. In other words, if Azeri gas does not reach Turkey through Georgia, it could go through Iran. At the same time, it could displace Turkmen gas, which Ashgabat hopes to sell to Turkey over the same Iranian route.
Azeri gas is still closer to the Turkish market, whether it travels through Georgia or Iran.
But the situation has been complicated even more by Azerbaijan's statements last week that it not only wants to sell gas to Iran, but also to buy gas from it. Although Azerbaijan may have enough gas to export two years from now, it is suffering with shortages of gas and electric power this winter. A recent delay in Russian customs clearance for gas deliveries demonstrated how vulnerable Azerbaijan will be if it relies on a single source for gas. But the result of turning to Iran could create an extraordinary situation. If the pipeline between the two countries is restored, gas could flow from Iran to Azerbaijan to ease shortages next winter, for example.