Russian gas swap profitable for Iran
An Iranian top oil official announced that representatives of a Russian company are scheduled to visit Iran to talk about oil, gas and oil product swaps. Amir Hossein Zamaninia, the Islamic Republic’s deputy oil minister did not reveal additional information about the company or the date of the visit, but Gazprom is the solo Russian gas exporter, while the country's largest oil producer Rosneft has asked the government to end Gazprom's decade-long exclusive right to export pipeline gas in July. CEOs of both Russian companies were in Iran among a delegation headed by Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak last month. The issue of oil and gas swaps was discussed during the visit of Novak to Tehran last month, Zamaninia said, adding that the two parties emphasized concluding contract negotiations on the issue. Prior to the introduction of sanctions, Iran was an active participant in swap operations, which began in 1997 on the basis of signed contracts. From 1997 to 200