Tasnim � Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh said the China National Petroleum Company (CNPC) has officially replaced French company Total which has backed out of a deal on development of Iran's South Pars gas field.


The CNPC has formally replaced Total in the project on development of South Pars gas field�s phase 11, Zanganeh announced on Sunday, but noted that the Chinese company has not still begun the job.

�Negotiations should be held with the Chinese company CNPC to see when it would start the operational activities,� the minister added.

In July 2017, Total signed a $1 billion deal to develop the South Pars gas field, south of Iran.

According to the agreement, the CNPC could take over Total�s 50.1 percent stake and become operator of the project in case of Total�s withdrawal from Iran.

Total pulled out of South Pars deal in May 2018 in light of a decision by US President Donald Trump to pull his country out of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.