Iran: Khamenei, NIOC and foreign oil and gas investmentsnote

Iranian Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is said to have asked the Iranian government to encourage foreign investments in the Iranian oil and gas sectors. This comes as the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) says it is in talks with Total of France to finalize a deal for Phase 2 of South Pas gas deal. The following 318-word report focuses on Khamenei’s directives and tells how is assessing the situation. It also tells what the position of NIOC is as regards Total, Lukoil and BP.