Austrian companies are ready to take on Iranian oil and gas projects once sanctions against Tehran are lifted, the deputy head of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber said. "We are in serious negotiations to undertake the development and exploration of oilfields in Iran," Karl Hartleb was quoted as saying by Shana on Sunday. He said Advantage Austria, the country's official trade promotion organization with more than 110 offices in over 70 countries, began operations in Iran in 2004 but was forced out of the country when US heaped more oil and trade sanctions against Tehran. Earlier this month, Austrian President Heinz Fischer arrived in Tehran, along with a 240-member economic, cultural and academic delegation for talks on enhancement of mutual cooperation. During three days of extensive talks between Iranian and Austrian officials in the capital, Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh met with Rainer Seele, CEO of the Austrian oil and gas company OMV, on utilizing Austrian technology to boost extraction from the Persian Gulf country's rich oil and gas fields.
