TEHRAN, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- Managing director of National Iranian Gas Export Company expressed hope on Monday that the gas deal between Iran and Switzerland would be implemented within the next few months, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.

    "The agreement to sell natural gas to Switzerland is among the most important deals... It has been finalized and there only remained some pricing differences which will be resolved within the next few days," Seyed Reza Kassaeizadeh was quoted as saying.

    "We hope to bring the deal into implementation this year," said Kassaeizadeh.

    In March 2008, Iran's foreign minister and his Swiss counterpart announced that Tehran and Bern struck the gas contract.

    Reportedly, the National Iranian Gas Export Company and Swiss company EGL signed a 13 billion U.S. dollars, 25-year deal for the delivery of 5.5 billion cubic meters of gas to the European country per year which was aimed at reducing Bern's dependency on Russian gas.

    It was scheduled for Iran to start selling half a billion cubicmeters of gas to Switzerland in 2009 and the sale was planned to increase to over 5 billion cubic meters in 2012, according to local satellite Press TV's report.

    The United Nations and the West have imposed sanctions against Iran over its sensitive nuclear program, Switzerland signed the gas deal with Iran which seemed to be a matter of vitality for the European side, in order to show its defiance.

    According to Oil and Gas Journal, as of January 2009, Iran has an estimated 136.2 billion barrels of proven oil reserves, or roughly 10 percent of the world's total proven petroleum.

    Iran's 2008 estimated proven natural gas reserves stand at some26.8 trillion cubic meters, second only to Russia, according to Oil and Gas Journal.