Swaraj arrived in Tehran on Saturday, kicking off her four-day diplomatic tour of Iran and Russia. She met with Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Sunday, discussing a wide range of bilateral and international issues.
"Both sides discussed the energy partnership between India and Iran… On Farzad – B, both sides took note of the constructive discussions held during the recent visit to Iran of MoS PNG [Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas]. The Indian side welcomed the Iranian decision to keep the Farzad – B field outside the auction basket," Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup said in a statement.
Companies involved in the deal were given deadlines to complete negotiations, the spokesman noted, adding that India had previously been provided with a pricing formula for Farzad B gas.
Farzad B, with estimated reserves of 12.8 trillion cubic feet of gas, was opened in 2008 by a consortium of three Indian companies: ONGC Videsh, Oil India and Indian Oil.
The field has been left undeveloped due to international anti-Iran sanctions that have gradually begun to be lifted this year.
