Iran may steal Turkey's role

President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an is visiting Iran today with four files. 

In a joint statement, 65 Iranian deputies called on Erdo?an to apologize for his remarks about Iran. Erdo?an is expected to bring Yemen, Iraq, Syria and energy to the table in his talks with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. 

The timing of the visit is meaningful because the eyes of the world are on Iran now because of the historic nuclear deal it made last week with the West; also for the role this country will play from now on in the global energy equilibrium.   

Energy expert and strategist Mehmet Ö?ütçü answered my questions on what kind of role Iran would take in energy and how the nuclear program deal would affect Turkey. 

Ö?ütçü has such titles as the London-based Global Resources Partnership Chairman, the special energy representative of the EU and the Bosphorus Energy Club Executive Chairman. 

His first sentence is striking: ?Nobody should doubt that Iran is a super power in oil and natural gas.? As a matter of fact, in the hours following the deal, Ö?ütçü noted oil prices went down. With the increase in oil production, the OPEC order will be upside down.

He also predicts that with the lifting of the sanctions against Iran, major oil and natural gas companies of the West will turn to Iran.

According to Ö?ütçü, Iran is aiming to strengthen its petro-chemical industry and instead of exporting oil and natural gas in their crude forms, they want to be one of the leading chemical producers in the world.
Iran will not have difficulty finding a market after it boosts its energy exports. China will continue to be its biggest client. So will Turkey and India. 

Iran will need Turkey?s cooperation to transport its oil and...