TEHRAN, Mar. 17 (MNA) – The largest contracts in the history of the country's oil industry worth more than $13 billion were signed in the presence of the first vice president Mohammad Mokhber on Sunday.

The contracts for the development of 6 Iranian oilfields, worth $13 Bln were signed in a ceremony attended by the first vice president Mohammad Mokhberon on Sunday.

The development projects include Azadegan Integrated, phase II of Azar oilfield, phase II of Masjed Soleyman oilfield, and development of Sumar, Saman and Delavaran oilfields.

The contracts were signed before the national holiday of the 73rd anniversary of the nationalization of the Iranian oil industry which falls on Tuesday March 19.

The contracts are aimed at developing six oil fields and adding 350,000 barrels of oil to the country’s daily production by relying on domestic expertise, according to the Iranian oil ministry. 

Addressing the singing ceremony, Mokhber said that "At the beginning of the 13th government and in a meeting with oil managers, I reminded that a country with more than a hundred years of oil extraction history should not wait for foreign contractors for oil exploration and production in its petrochemical sector. Now after two years since the new government took office, the great efforts have yielded results with relying on the strength and capabilities of the domestic contractors and local investors."

The Iranian oil minister Javad Owji and National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) Managing Director Mohsen Khojastehmehr were also present in the signing ceremony.

MNA/6057303