KARACHI, Pakistan, Dec. 1 (UPI) — Iranian gas from the South Pars field will be used by customers in Pakistan by as early as 2013, the Iranian consul general in Pakistan said.

Tehran has lobbied aggressively for the Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline in order to bring its gas reserves to markets in Central Asia. IPI would bring gas from the offshore South Pars field in the Persian Gulf to markets in India and Pakistan.

Masoud Mohammad Zamani, the Iranian consul general in Pakistan, said Iran has finalized several parts of the IPI project, the official Islamic Republic News Agency reports.

"By 2013 Iran’s gas will hopefully be used in Pakistan," he said during a meeting with members of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Tehran secured a long-term deal with Islamabad for gas supplies from IPI earlier this year. Islamabad is keen on shoring up valuable natural resources as it faces a looming energy crisis.

Tehran, meanwhile, is eager to improve its energy relationship with New Delhi as it struggles to make political and commercial progress on IPI, saying the "door is open" for further talks.

Zamani also approached Pakistani officials on the possibility of setting up an Iranian banking branch in Pakistan in order to facilitate bilateral trade.