SABETTA (Russia) (Sputnik) – French oil and gas major Total will consider developing Iran's gas fields after international sanctions against the country are scrapped, its chief executive officer told journalists Monday.
"Iran has the world's second largest gas reserves after Russia, and we will consider returning to this country once sanctions are lifted," Total's CEO Patrick Pouyanne said at a press conference during his visit to the Russian Yamal peninsula, in northwestern Siberia.
Pouyanne said the French gas giant ran a gas project in the Islamic Republic from 1995 to 2000, together with its Russian and Asian partners, but added any plans of a comeback were preliminary.
Iran and six world powers – France, Britain, the United States, China, Russia and Germany – agreed on a framework deal on April 2 that laid the groundwork for a comprehensive accord on Iran's nuclear program. In return, Iran will see international sanctions against its economy phased out over time.