Iran to barter electricity for Pakistani wheat

Iran has agreed to barter electricity supplies for wheat from Pakistan, Tehran Times daily quoted Deputy Energy Minister Mohammad Behzad as saying on Wednesday. Pakistan will send some 9 million U.S. dollars' worth of wheat to Iran as part of its payment for electricity import from the Islamic republic, Behzad said. Although the Iranian Plant Protection Organization had said earlier it did not approve the quality of the Pakistani wheat, Behzad said the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Commerce has decided on the import. Pakistan's delayed electricity import payment to Iran amounts to 51 million dollars. Due to the West's sanctions against Iran's financial and banking sectors, Tehran has been unable to receive the money. Iran has been under the West's pressure over its controversial nuclear program, which the West alleged to be meant for military purposes, an accusation Iran persistently denies.