Iran has not offered the development of oil and gas fields to any foreign company following the long-awaited removal of sanctions, said a senior Iranian official
"Iran has made no promises about handing over the development of any of its oil and gas fields to any foreign company," said Rokneddin Javadi, managing-director of National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), according to Shana.
Javadi was responding to reports about handing over the development of Phase 3 of Darkhovin oilfield in the southwest of the country to Italy's Eni.
"Eni has only expressed its interest and desire to develop phase III of the oilfield," said the official.
Eni, along its European and Asian rivals, have signaled their interest in development projects in Iran's oil and gas industry following the removal of US-led sanctions on Tehran's nuclear program.
The company, however, has not yet held any technical talks for operating Darkhovin project, said Javadi.
Talks have been held with executives of foreign companies, but no offers have yet been made to any of them for developing the country's oil and gas fields, he added.
Phase 3 of Darkhovin oilfield is being developed to add 60,000 to 70,000 bpd of crude oil to the field's output. The project requires $1.3b in investment.
Eni Chief Executive Claudio Descalzi met Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh in Tehran in August to discuss new opportunities for the Italian energy company in Iran.
The talks were expected to focus on resuming oil purchase from Iran and Eni's return to the Darkhovin oilfield.
The Italian oil and gas giant halted operations in Darkhovin in 2010 to avoid backlash of US sanctions for business with Iran. It had signed a $550 million deal to produce 160,000 barrels per day of oil from the field in two phases.
It also had a stake in the development of Doroud oilfield on Khark Island and Balal in the Persian Gulf.
Eni is reportedly vying for the third phase of the project to add a further 100,000 bpd to Darkhovin output.