The National Iranian Oil Company and Iraqi oil officials explored ways to boost cooperation in Tehran on Friday.
According to Shana, the Oil Ministry news portal, Ramin Qalambor Dezfouli, NIOC director for production support and procurement, met with Iraq's Deputy Oil Minister Mahmoud Abdul Amir Hashim on the sidelines of the Iran International Oil, Gas, Refining and Petrochemical Exhibition in.
"NIOC is interested in opening an office in Iraq. The two sides discussed ways to facilitate the process," Qalambor said.
The aim is to help Iranian oil and gas industry companies play an active role in the neighboring state where the oil sector is picking up after decades of wars and internal strive coupled with terrorist attacks by the self-styled Islamic State group.
Talks started three years ago and NIOC hopes to open its office by early next year.
The official asserted that opening the office will help the two country's private sectors build closer interaction.
"The office will help introduce Iran’s private firms to Iraq's Oil Ministry," Qalambor said, adding that because Iranian manufacturers do not have international quality certification, they need to be certified by the Oil Ministry to be able to work in Iraq.
Referring to the shared hydrocarbon deposits between the two countries, the Iraqi official emphasized the need for building two-way cooperation.
"Iranian companies are [capable of] manufacturing high quality products," he said, expressing the hope that the planned office would make a difference and produce the desired results for both neighbors.
Iraq is a major importer of Iranian goods and relies heavily on Iranian natural gas and electricity.
Its trade with Iran, however, is likely to be impaired due to the new US measures aimed at restricting Iran’s international commerce.
Washington has been pushing Iraq to break its energy dependence on Iran since it reinstated sanctions last year after withdrawing from the 2015 nuclear deal.
Baghdad has said that it will continue its economic ties, mainly in the key energy sector, with Iran for obvious reasons and in the framework of international law.
The United States invaded Iraq in 2003 and left a trail of destruction and chaos in the Arab country and the region. The oft-mentioned US claim was that former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein was hiding weapons of mass destruction.
It later turned out that there were no WMDs in Saddam’s arsenal and that the US leaders had been lying about the banned weapons from the beginning.
