Middlemen corrupt parasites: Iran Min

Iran’s Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh on Monday launched a blistering attack on industry middlemen, branding them “parasites that want to suck the nation’s blood” for their own financial benefit.

His comments, a day after the United States and Europe moved to lift sanctions on Iran following a July nuclear deal, coincide with ramped up efforts to attract international oil majors back to Tehran.

Sanctions relief could unlock Iran, which has the world’s largest combined oil and gas reserves, from decades of under-investment and stifled production. But emerging opportunities come after a string of corruption scandals in which middlemen were allegedly co-opted by past governments to circumvent oil sanctions, pocketing commissions.