1.3 billion cubic meters… No reliable confirmation of suspension of Turkmen gas imports to Turkey

Key Facts

It could not be verified that Turkey had suspended Turkmen gas imports, halted the agreement governing them, or that the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control was behind any such decision. Turkey’s Energy Ministry announced on February 12, 2025, that the gas would be transported through a swap via Iran, targeting supply of 1.3 billion cubic meters by the end of that year. Under the arrangement, Iran would serve as a transit route for Turkmen supplies to the Turkish market, according to the official announcement. But available information does not establish that Turkey issued a new decision on November 6, 2026, to halt the flows. Nor does it establish that sanctions or the U.S.-Iran conflict caused any current stoppage.

Turkey began receiving Turkmen gas under a swap with Iran on March 1, 2025, according to an S&P Global Energy report. The plan was to import 1.3 billion cubic meters by year-end, a stated target rather than a confirmed figure for volumes actually delivered. Imports were handled by BOTAŞ under an import license valid through 2033, the same report said. Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said the deal was important for diversifying gas sources and reducing costs, noting that Turkey had the infrastructure to receive the supplies. The report said Bayraktar described the imported gas as competitively priced and said it could help lower the national gas bill; that was a targeted outcome, with no evidence that it had been achieved.

Against the backdrop of energy transit, the head of BOTAŞ said at a conference in Ashgabat held from October 21 to 23, 2026, that the company’s strategic goal was to transport Turkmen gas to Turkey via a Trans-Caspian pipeline and then deliver it to Europe through Turkish territory. He described the start of supplies in 2025 as an important milestone and said the company viewed it as the beginning of a broader, long-term partnership. On sanctions, the Office of Foreign Assets Control issued an advisory on November 4 about Iran’s shadow fleet relying on false flags to evade them. On the same day, the U.S. Treasury Department announced that it had targeted a Turkey-based ground services company, saying it continued to serve sanctioned Iranian airlines. However, neither action confirms a suspension of Turkmen gas imports nor establishes a connection between them and a Turkish decision concerning the imports.