While some European companies are eager to work with Iran, the country's oil minister said there's been few commitments on oil sales.
"I met with the [top executives] of big European oil companies," Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh said. "They expressed interest in returning [to Iran] for an active presence in Iran's market."
The Iranian government is pressing for more sanctions relief from a framework agreement slated to take effect in mid-2015. Zanganeh said he met with top European executives on the sidelines of last week's meeting in Vienna of ministers from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries.
In April, Zanganeh said Iran could return as a dominant force in OPEC once a nuclear deal is formalized with six world powers. Iran holds the third-largest proven oil reserves among OPEC member states, behind Venezuela and Saudi Arabia, respectively.
In May, the Oil Ministry in Iran said it was expecting "the presence of major international U.S. oil and gas companies," if sanctions are lifted. Last month, officials with Exxon Mobil denied reports it was lobbying for sanctions relief in an effort to work in Iran.
Iran is limited to around 1 million barrels of oil per day in exports under the terms of a November 2013 deal with international powers. Exports could double if all sanctions are released later this year.
Zanganeh said there's been no commitment on Iranian oil sales during the latest round of negotiations in Geneva.
Members of the international community are working toward a June 30 date to formalize an agreement that pulls Iran back from the brink of developing the technology needed to make a nuclear weapon.
