LATEST: Rafsanjani Joins Claims of “Foreign-Backed Terrorists” in Iraq

Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh has again called for the return of international investment in Iran’s oil and gas sectors.

Zanganeh said on Saturday that Tehran is in ongoing negotiations over the resumption of operations by international firms.

The Islamic Republic’s development of energy projects has been crippled since 2010 by the withdrawal of leading companies from projects, including the giant South Pars oil and gas field. Iran lacks essential technology and equipment to carry out the development, and other countries have not been able to complete the work — last month, Tehran cancelled contracts with China’s leading firms because of failure to fulfil contracts signed in 2009.

The Oil Minister’s campaign for investment, including from Western countries, began soon after the installation of the Rouhani Government last autumn. During the winter, he held talks with companies such as France’s Total, Italy’s Eni, Royal Dutch Shell, Austria’s OMV, and Vitol, the world’s largest oil trader.

Zanganeh has persisted with the efforts despite opposition from the Revolutionary Guards, whose branch Khatam al-Anbia is heavily involved in oil and gas projects; however, the initiatives have been limited by ongoing US enforcement of sanctions amid continuing talks over Iran’s nuclear program.

The Minister said on Saturday, “So far, due to the US obstructionism, Iran has not been able to utilize its maximum production capacity for safe and easy supply in the oil market.”

The Ministry has said Iran requires about $70 billion of investment in upstream and downstream industries.

Rafsanjani Joins Claims of “Foreign-Backed Terrorists” in Iraq

Former President Hashemi Rafsanjani has added his voice to the denunciation of the insurgency in Iraq as foreign-backed terrorists.

Rafsanjani, who is close to President Rouhani, said on Saturday as he chaired the Expediency Council, “Behind-the-scene players have complicated the dimensions of this conspiracy against the Iraqi people (with) unwavering technical, medical and political support for this group through some of the countries in and outside the region.”

Rouhani’s intervention may complicate the Rouhani Government’s attempt at rapprochement with Saudi Arabia. The former President has both a private and public channel to Riyadh, as Iran tries to arrange high-level meetings over regional matters and the Syrian crisis.

However, other Iranian politicians and clerics have declared that Saudi Arabia is behind the Islamic State of Iraq and as-Sham, a leading force in the Iraqi insurgency.

The head of the Basij militia, Mohammad Reza Naqdi, said on Saturday that the insurgency was a US conspiracy, as Iraqi army commanders were fooled by Washington into sending their units to join ISIS.

The Americans revealed their plots after the failure in the (April’s Parliamentary) election and they came onto the scene to make up for their failure….

The Americans’ recent actions in Iraq have not been a guerilla campaign, rather they have been conducting espionage operations.