Iranian Deputy Oil Minister for International Affairs Amir Hossein Zamaninia said Tehran is in negotiations with 27 foreign companies over oil projects worth $200 billion.
“I can assure you this (gas deal with Total) isn’t the last one,” Zamaninia told CNNMoney on the sidelines of an oil conference in Istanbul, Turkey, on Tuesday referring to Iran’s recent gas deal with France’s energy giant Total.
“We’ll see other contracts being made within the next few weeks,” he added.
Zamaninia said Iran was talking to companies in Europe and Asia, including BP, Russia’s Gazprom and Lukoil, and Malaysia’s Petronas, among others. He did not mention any American companies.
Lukoil declined to comment on the details of the talks, but added that it had previously expressed an interest in developing two fields in Iran.
BP, Gazprom and Petronas did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
“Many did not say they were waiting for (US) President (Donald) Trump to sign the waiver, but in reality they did,” said Zamaninia. “After his signature…these negotiations took place.”
On July 3, Total and China’s National Petroleum Company (CNPC) struck a $5 billion agreement with Iran to develop its giant South Pars gas field.
The agreement was signed at a ceremony in Tehran attended by Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zangeneh, Total’s CEO Patrick Pouyanne and senior officials from China’s CNPC and Iran’s Petropars.
Phase 11 of South Pars gas field will be developed in the framework of the Iran Petroleum Contract (IPC) by a consortium led by Total, which includes the CNPC and Petropars.
(Source: Tasnim, under Creative Commons licence)
