Iranian Oil Minister Gholam Hossein Nozari warns Austrian-based energy company OMV AG (OMV.VI) not to delay signing contracts on the Nabucco gas pipeline project in an interview published in Friday's edition of Austrian daily Wiener Zeitung.
"The Austrians must hurry up and turn the preliminary contracts into actual contracts. Time is pressing and we won't wait forever," Nozari told the paper.
However, he said he was optimistic about the project.
"You can't simply ignore a country with 16% of global gas reserves. I also see...that the Austrians want to bring the talks to a very successful conclusion.
"Europe needs Iran, and Austria, with its excellent relations with us, should set an example," Nozari said.
The Nabucco gas pipeline project seeks to link central Asia's gas fields with Europe. The pipeline is planned to run 3,300 kilometers from Turkey through the Balkan states to Austria, is expected to be completed by 2013.