A senior Total official said the French energy giant is still interested in continuing cooperation with Iran. In a letter to Iranian Oil Minister Gholam-Hossein Nozari, Total Chief Executive Christophe de Margerie rejected recent reports on Total’s withdrawal from South Pars gas field, describing them as political propaganda, an unnamed Total official said

“Total’s stance on Iran is quite clear. We are interested in continuing our activities,“ the official said.

The Managing Director of the National Iranian Oil Company, Seifollah Jashnsaz, also said Total has officially announced that it will carry out its commitments to Iran’s oil industry.

Meanwhile, Malaysia’s Petronas says it is also interested in cooperating with Iran in the South Pars gas field projects. “We are still interested in operating in Iran,“ Chief Executive Officer Hassan Marican said in a Tuesday news conference.

France’s Total is to invest in a project to develop Phase 11 of South Pars gas field along with Petronas. Western media reported on July 10 that Total had pulled out of the major LNG deal because it was politically risky.

“But on the LNG project specifically, where we are in a consortium with Total, I have said previously that we cannot come to a final decision on that particular project because of the increase in costs and because we have not completed our discussion with the Iranians,“ Marican added.

Nozari said last week that Iran would develop energy projects in South Pars with or without the help of foreign firms.