Iran will connect its electrical grid with Qatar in the near future, Tehran's Energy Minister Abbas Aliabadi said on Tuesday, according to Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-affiliated Tasnim News Agency.
"The connection between Iran and Qatar will begin soon - studies are in the final stage, and we are beginning the implementation phase," Aliabadi was cited as saying.
Iran is also "studying" the connection of its grid to other Gulf Cooperation Council countries, Aliabadi reportedly said.
This follows a Friday report in The Washington Post, which stated that Qatar offered Iran a "secret deal" before operations Roaring Lion and Epic Fury began on February 28, in exchange for a promise that Iran would not strike Qatar's energy infrastructure.
The Washington Post cited Middle Eastern and Western officials saying that Qatar was aiming to protect its Ras Laffan gas complex from Iran's attacks.
However, the site was ultimately hit by an Iranian missile attack in March, causing significant damage to the plant.
Iran's March strikes on Qatar's Ras Laffan caused $20 billion lost annual revenue, Doha official says
QatarEnergy CEO and Energy Minister, Saad Sherida al-Kaabi, was cited by Reuters at the time saying that the strikes caused an estimated $20b. in lost annual revenue, after the attacks knocked out 17% of Qatar's LNG export capacity.
"I never in my wildest dreams would have thought that Qatar would be - Qatar and the region - in such an attack, especially from a brotherly Muslim country in the month of Ramadan, attacking us in this way," Kaabi said at the time.
Meanwhile, Qatar reportedly refused to facilitate negotiations between the US and Iran while under fire, but hosted an Iranian delegation in May to discuss the release of frozen funds, according to Agence-France Presse on Monday.
A diplomat told AFP that Qatari negotiators were involved in "17 hours of intensive negotiations" in Tehran ahead of the deal being announced.
During these negotiations, Qatar "played a role trying to secure Gulf interests," AFP cited International Forum Director Dania Thafer as saying.
Iranian energy minister discusses electricity, water supply concerns over coming summer months
Earlier this week, Aliabadi spoke on the state broadcaster, Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), discussing the effects of electricity consumption and water supply across the country over the coming summer months.
He pledged that his ministry would prioritize the supply of electricity to industries with established power plants.
He also commented that Iran, during the war, was producing electricity at over 1,000 locations across the country.
Meanwhile, Qatar is planning to boost its liquified natural gas production once the Strait of Hormuz reopens, according to people familiar with the matter speaking to Bloomberg on Tuesday.
Jerusalem Post Staff and Reuters contributed to this report.