Russia and Iran have signed agreements to collaborate on “strategic” energy deals worth up to $30bn that will involve energy groups such as Rosneft and Gazprom.
Amir Hossein Zamaninia, Iran’s deputy oil minister for international affairs, said six provisional deals had been signed with Russian oil companies as part of a visit by President Vladimir Putin to Tehran on Wednesday.
After years of sanctions, the government of Hassan Rouhani has sought to attract foreign companies to develop Iran’s energy sector.
The latest announcements come as Russia is building up its energy assets in the Middle East, as part of a wider diplomatic push to increase its economic and military clout in the region.
Mr Zamaninia said the two countries agreed to “strategic co-operation in the energy sector”, ranging from development of Iran’s oil and gasfields to collaboration on research.
Igor Sechin, chief executive of Russia’s state-controlled Rosneft, said its pact with the National Iranian Oil Company would be the first step before a “binding” deal to participate in Iran’s oil and gas projects over the next few years.
“According to preliminary calculations, the overall amount of investments in the projects will total up to $30bn. When completed, the production plateau will reach 55m tonnes of oil per year,” Mr Sechin told journalists invited to the signing.
Source: www.ft.com
