Iran reviews LNG options

TEHRAN, April 13 (UPI) -- Tehran is considering using liquefied natural gas to reach international markets in an effort to circumvent economic sanctions, an executive said.

The United States and the European Union last year were among world powers that imposed unilateral sanctions on Iran's energy sector as punishment for nuclear transparency failures.

Iran Liquefied Natural Gas Co. said it aimed to start LNG exports by the end of 2012 with the help of European technology and domestic funding, reports Bloomberg News.

Ali Kheir-Andish, managing director of the LNG company, told the news agency that Iran was moving aggressively on its evolving energy ambitions.

"Of course it is our ambition to be a top exporter, but that has to be in line with preserving our national interest and standing," he was quoted as saying.

The Iranian company is situated in Bushehr province near the South Pars gas complex in the Persian Gulf, one of the largest such structures in the world. Qatar, whose North Field sits adjacent to South Pars, is the largest exporter of LNG in the world.