Iran, India sign oil, energy agreement

Iran and India have signed an agreement to boost oil and energy cooperation.

The document was signed by Iran’s Minister of Petroleum Bijan Zangeneh and his visiting Indian counterpart Dharmendra Pradhan in Tehran on Saturday.

The development of the giant Farzad-B gas field, export of Iran’s crude and oil products to India, and enhanced cooperation in the fields of petrochemical industry are among the main provisions of the agreement.

The Farzad-B field in the offshore Farsi block is estimated to hold 12.8 trillion cubic feet of in-place gas reserves.

Speaking to reporters following a meeting with Pradhan in Tehran on Saturday, Zangeneh said Iran is currently exporting around 350,000 barrels of crude oil a day to India.

“We hope that this number will increase after the removal of sanctions [in January],” the Iranian minister added.

He noted that the development of Farzad-B natural gas field was the main issue discussed by the two ministers, saying, “The Iranian and Indian sides are set to reach an agreement on the timeframe of the project which is a difficult and time-consuming task.”

The Indian oil minister arrived in Tehran on Saturday to hold talks with Iranian officials on ways to expand cooperation in different sectors of oil industry.

India is currently Iran’s second-biggest oil client after China.

Iran is targeting India, where demand for crude is growing faster than other Asian countries, as well as old partners in Europe for stepped-up shipment of its crude oil following the lifting of the US-led sanctions against it.

Indian refiners have said they are keen to import more from Iran, as demand for fuel soars at a rate faster than that in China.

Golrokh Askarieh

Recent Posts

Iran says all crew members of seized Israel-owned ship released

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian says all crew of an Israeli-owned Portuguese-flagged ship recently seized…

4 hours ago

Iranian universities rise up to support expelled pro-Palestinian students in US, Europe

Dozens of universities in Iran have offered free scholarships to the students who have been…

4 hours ago

4-year-old child found in Iran days after going missing             

A 4-year-old Iranian child has been found five days after going missing in the country's…

4 hours ago

Pro-Palestine students set up encampments at UK universities

Pro-Palestine students at campuses across the United Kingdom have set up encampments demanding that their…

17 hours ago

Israel threatens to retaliate against Palestine if ICC issues arrest warrants: Report

Tel Aviv has threatened that it will retaliate against the Palestinian Authority (PA) if the…

17 hours ago

1k Gaza workers in Israel ‘remain missing’: Palestinian rights groups

Palestinian human rights organisations have reported that there is no information available about 1,000 workers…

19 hours ago