Azadegan Oilfield Tender Postponed

A tender for developing Iran’s Azadegan Oilfield has been postponed again, a senior Iranian oil official said on Tuesday, adding that it will not be held in 2017.

Tehran is looking to increase its crude output, and with 37 billion barrels of oil, the Azadegan field is Iran’s largest, shared with neighboring Iraq. Iran said in June that international energy companies, including France’s Total, Malaysia’s Petronas and Japan’s Inpex, have presented technical surveys for the development of the Azadegan field.

“The companies are still assessing the technical surveys. The tender will not take place in 2017,” managing director of the National Iranian Oil Company, Ali Kardor, was quoted as saying by ISNA, Reuters reported. The tender for developing the Azadegan Oilfield, Iran’s first such tender since the lifting of international sanctions more than a year ago, has been repeatedly postponed for unspecified reasons.

Kardor said the tender has not been affected by US President Donald Trump’s policies against Iran and added that the Chinese, Russian and European companies were still committed to investing in Iran.

Trump is expected to decertify this week a landmark 2015 deal Iran struck with world powers to curb its nuclear program in return for the lifting of most international sanctions.