RIO DE JANEIRO (WJC)–Three days after hosting Israeli President Shimon Peres, the Brazilian oil and gas giant Petrobras has announced that it is considering closing its operations in Iran. The company’s international director, Jorge Zelada, told the magazine ‘Veja’ that Latin America’s largest company was studying this possibility. Peres had met last Friday with Petrobras President Jose Gabrielli at the company’s world headquarters in Rio de Janeiro.
The reported reason was the frustrated expectations with the drilling of two wells in Iran. Zelada said the drilling results are not commercially interesting and the exploration permit will be returned to the Iranian government. The Petrobras office in Tehran is likely to be closed soon, he added. “It is a strictly technical decision,” Zelada declared, denying political pressure.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is scheduled to visit Brazil next week.
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Preceding provided by World Jewish Congress