RoydadNaft –  Moscow delivered 100,000 metric tons to Pakistan through Iran’s Sarakhs Special Economic Zone.

Delivery of the first cargo of Russian liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for Pakistan was completed on 26 September via Iran’s Sarakhs Special Economic Zone located in the northeastern Khorasan Razavi province.

According to the head of Sarakhs Special Economic Zone, Mohammad Reza Berahmand, the transit operation had been completed in six months.

LPG is a fuel gas containing propane and butane used in heating appliances and vehicles.

The delivery marked Islamabad’s second major Russian energy purchase this year. In June, Pakistan received 100,000 tons of crude oil from Russia and paid for the crude using the Chinese yuan.

As a result of a dire economic and energy crisis, Islamabad is looking for broader energy cooperation with Moscow. Next month, a high-level Pakistani delegation will attend an energy conference in Russia and discuss long-term contracts for importing Russian oil.

Pakistan’s growing ties with Russia come despite its status as a long-standing US ally.

In the 1980s, during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, Pakistan provided strategic depth for CIA-sponsored Islamic militants, known as mujahideen, to attack Soviet forces. Pakistan’s intelligence agency, ISI, worked on the CIA’s behalf to establish, fund, and arm mujahideen groups as part of a policy to bleed the Soviet army.

The energy-starved country last month was forced to suspend its participation in building a major gas pipeline with Iran due to the threat of US economic sanctions.

In June, Pakistan announced a barter trade agreement with Russia, Iran, and Afghanistan to ease the mounting pressure on its already depleted foreign reserves.