European, Asian states keen on oil, gas investment in Iran

Tehran, March 7, IRNA — Deputy head of the National Iranian Oil Company for investment affairs said on Saturday that a number of European and Asian countries held talks with Iranian officials to make investmets in different oil and gas upstream projects in Iran.

Hojatollah Ghanimifard did not name the countries in order to prevent imposing possible international pressures on them for their willingness to invest on the Iranian projects an act which would defy existing trade restrictions enforced by Western states for foreign companies which would intend to establish or promote trade relations with Iran.

"Most of those countries are either negotiating with Iran or have reached final agreements with the country to make investments," Ghanimifard told IRNA.

He added that their names would be mentioned when there would be no international pressures on them for becoming involved in the Iranian projects.

Tehran would announce the countries' names in the future, if an appropriate international atmosphere was created with no pressures on Iran's trade partners, Ghanimifard said./end