Iran to sign oil deals with Europeans

Source: PressTV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=124575§ionid=351020103


An Iranian oil official says Tehran will sign new contracts with European oil firms despite the US-led sanctions against its oil and gas industry.

"The names of the European firms (with whom Iran is to sign contracts) will be announced only after the agreements are finalized," Hojatollah Ghanimifard, vice-president for investment affairs at the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) said Monday during a press conference at the Tehran International Oil and Gas Fair.

He noted that one of the companies interested in such a contract is French.

"The fact that some European firms have not signed any agreements with Iran this year is tied to the financial crisis in the respective countries," Ghanimifard said.

On Friday, Iranian Oil Minister Masoud Mirkazemi said Iran has become "quite an expert in tackling sanctions imposed by Western countries" over the past three decades.

Sources close to a congressional survey argue that Washington cannot afford to tighten the leash on Iran's foreign fuel suppliers as it would seriously damage US economy.

In a survey published on Thursday, the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) identified more than 41 foreign companies that helped Iran develop its oil and gas sector over the past five years, the New York Times reported.

According to congressional investigators, the companies have enabled Iran to increase energy production and profits by offering expertise, equipment and financing as well as assistance with the construction of domestic oil and gas pipelines.

However, sources close to the survey said on condition of anonymity that imposing sanctions on the 41 companies will most likely damage the US economy since some of them are major global companies, prominent Japanese daily Yomiuri reported on Saturday.

The report comes at a time when Washington is preparing broad-based sanctions against companies supplying Iran with gasoline or helping it expand its refineries.