Iran's Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh said he had met on Wednesday with Austrian oil and gas group OMV and other foreign oil companies as Tehran prepares to offer oilfields, projects and its final investment contract in November.

Zanganeh was in Vienna for an Opec meeting. He declined to name the other firms involved in the talks, held on the executive floor of an international hotel cleared of reporters.

"The companies are coming and visiting. At least they are showing that they are keen on exploring these possibilities, to get prepared for what they want to do," a source close to the matter said.

Zanganeh had met some Western oil executives at Opec's previous meeting in December, including Italy's Eni and Royal Dutch Shell.

The main priority for Iran will be rehabilitation of aging oilfields - Ahwaz, Aghajari, Gachsaran, Marun and Bibi Hakimeh which together make up more than 80 percent of its total output, Zanganeh had said.

Iran's talks with six major powers on curbing its nuclear programme in exchange for an end to Western sanctions could be extended for six months if no deal is reached by a July 20 deadline agreed by all parties, a senior Iranian official said. in Geneva.

When asked how Iran would react if sanctions were not lifted, Zanganeh replied: "We entitle ourselves to increase our output with any way we can." - Reuters