This document is an archival source and analytical overview of the transcontinental gas pipeline project designed for the transit of Iranian natural gas into the Soviet Union and the subsequent export of Soviet gas to Western Europe under a swap‑supply scheme (internationally referred to as IGAT‑2). Gas delivered to the Azerbaijani city of Astara was intended to supply Transcaucasia, the North Caucasus, and southern Ukraine, while European companies (Ruhrgas, Gaz de France, OMV) were to receive Soviet gas through Czechoslovakia. The article details the parameters of the intergovernmental agreement between six countries (USSR, Iran, CSSR, FRG, France, Austria), valid until 2003. It provides unique information on the swap mechanism, engineering specifications of the pipeline (pipe diameter 1,220 mm, pressure 75 atm), the construction of compressor stations and the planned Karadag underground gas storage facility, as well as the project’s impact on regional gasification in the South Caucasus. The project was never implemented due to the Iranian Revolution of 1979. This publication is intended for researchers of the history of the oil and gas industry, economic geography, and Soviet‑era international relations.
"Baku" Newspaper (1976) studied this question.