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Now that sanctions will be lifted around the Iranian civilian nuclear power non-issue, American companies naturally don't want to be left out of this HUGE FOSSIL fuel nation......with potential 600 billion barrels of crude oil under its ground and yet more to be found, and with the second largest reserves of natural gas after Russia.
Iranians need not fear the Americans oil companies as much as they fear and have paranoia about the British.
Persian proverb: 'Turn a stone, and thee shall find a British conspiracy'
Whilst doing business with the USA generally.....automobile.....petchem etc, there is no need to have American embassies, consulates, large number of American tourists in Iran.
In the 1950's the BP or Anglo-Persian oil company gave the Iranian government 16% of profits, whilst American companies offered 40%.....certainly more generous.
It is the British who led the charge against the Mossaddeg government culminating in the 1953 coup, arguing that he was a secret Communist who would ally with the Soviet Union, to entice the services of the USA. In reality of course the British were unhappy with Mossaddeg for nationalizing Anglo-Persian.
It is the British who led the charge against the Shah culminating in the 1979 'Islamic Revolution', arguing that an 'Arch of Crisis' needed to be created against the belly of the Soviet Union, and that the Shah needed to be replaced by the Mullahs, to entice the services of the USA (Bernard Lewis...'Clash of Civilization').....That some how losing a solid American ally was good for the USA.......and the potential LOSS of $1.5 trillion worth of business between Persia and the USA...1979--2015....was worth the sacrifice. It is the British who suddenly cut off buying 3 million barrels of oil from Iran in 1978, as a process of destabilizing the Shah and bringing in the mullahs the next year.
One hopes the British embassy is not established in Tehran or for that matter BP, and Shell are not allowed to do business in Iran.
American oil companies are a different matter.
Iran needs massive investment in its petro-chemicals industry....$100 billion in the next few years.
Geo-strategically the CFR and other strategists in the USA may prefer Europe to buy MORE Iranian gas, and less Russian. Since Russia is the more capable adversary, where as Iran is a puppet state brought into power by the USA/UK......and are banana republic corrupt and manageable to the extent former Super Power, and thorn on the side RUSSIA isn't.
The Mullahs and their families are the richest people in IRAN.....One need not say anything further about such a country, and its mysterious genius for fantastic weapons.
Its a mental exercise of getting over the Israeli paranoia, world view and anxiety about existential threats from Iran. With Russia and China in the competitive horizon, this is now more feasible in the USA.
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US unaware about Iran visit by oil team (so far so good)
By Presstv.com
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State Department spokesman Jeff Rathke told reporters at a daily press briefing that it is difficult to verify the report since “not a single individual or company is identified" in it.
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Rathke was reacting to an announcement by Abbas Sheri Moqadam, Iran’s deputy petroleum minister, that a US oil delegation is scheduled to travel to Tehran this week “to hold talks with a number of Iranian petroleum ministry officials as well as oil industry contractors”.
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Rathke said he wouldn’t “speculate about a visit” which “has not even been confirmed and the nature of which is completely obscure right now.”
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“It’s hard to verify whether these reports are accurate at all,” he said, “but also we’ve been quite clear that we don’t consider Iran to be open for business yet, and that if there is any sanctionable activity happening, then we will take action.”
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Sheri Moqadam, who heads Iran's National Petrochemical Company (NPC), had been quoted by the country’s Mehr News Agency as saying that “oil dealers and investors from the US are scheduled to have a business tour of Iranian oil industry and meet with Iranian authorities”.
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In response to a question about legal restrictions for American companies in Iran, he had explained that to invest in Iran, companies are required to “register an Iranian company and as a result there is no boundary for foreigners to invest in Iran”.
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“It is predicted that following the visit by the American delegation to Tehran and possible removal of sanctions against the oil industry, we will witness the presence of major international US oil and gas companies in Iran in future,” Sheri Moqadam added.
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Washington has imposed a series of draconian sanctions on Iran that prevent American firms from trading with Iran and investing in its oil sector projects.
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Some of the sanctions are expected to be removed if Iran and P5+1 reach a final agreement over the country’s nuclear energy activities. The agreement has a deadline of June 30th and its fate is still not clear. However, global traders are already looking into the prospects for investing in the Iranian market.
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Tehran has been hosting major trade delegations from Europe and Asia over the past few weeks. A surprise visit by an American trade team made headlines in Tehran last month in what many believed was a sign that the taboo over the presence of US companies in the country was already breaking.
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The delegation was comprised of 22 US entrepreneurs, investors and consultants who were reportedly visiting the country to study post-sanctions investment potentials.
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Sheri Moqadam, in another report by Shana news agency affiliated to the Ministry of Petroleum, has been quoted as referring to the visit by the same American trade team in Tehran. This, he said, could be the start of the presence of companies from the US in Iran's 20th International Oil, Gas, Refining and Petrochemical Exhibition – the Oil Show.
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“The presence of expert and experienced staff at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have given us the confidence to be optimistic about the participation of foreign companies in this year’s Oil Show,” the official has told Shana.
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The Show will open in Tehran on May 6 and will continue until May 9. Iranian officials have already told the media that a large number of national and international companies operating in various areas down the oil chain will participate in this year’s exhibition.
