Wintershall ignores sanctions threat to strengthen ties with Gazprom in Iran

Germany’s biggest oil and gas company Wintershall – which is already helping co-finance Gazprom’s controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline – announced this week that it was also planning to collaborate with the Russian energy giant  in Iran.
“Our partnership with Gazprom is based on trust, so we are open for possible joint projects,” Thilo Wieland, a Wintershall board member told  the Rambler News website. “If Iran provides an opportunity, we, of course,will thoroughly consider it. “With its considerable resources, working there fitted in with Wintershall’s strategy of targeting key region, he added.  His remarks follow last month’s announcement by the country’s Petroleum Minister Bijan Zanganeh  that the Islamic Republic had signed a basic agreement with Gazprom over the development of major gas projects at Farzad B, North Pars and Kish.
A subsidiary of BASF, Wintershall is Germany’s largest internationally active crude oil and natural gas producer. Its CEO Mario Mehren has long been a critic of the sanctions imposed on Russia following its annexation of Crime and in April called for them to be eased.  “We must find a way to reduce the mutual sanctions now,” he said and suggested that it would be better to resume ties before sentiment in Moscow toward Europe soured completely. The Russians were “slowly losing their patience,” he said, adding that when it came to a secure and affordable gas supply, Europe was “dependent on Russia.”
Attempts by a bipartisan group of US Senators to slap further sanctions on both Russia and Iran stalled last week over a procedural issue.