The oil arm of the Russian energy giant Gazprom has signed a deal with the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) to develop two oil fields in Iran, the Russian company says.

Gazprom Neft and NIOC signed a memorandum of understanding "reflecting the companies' intentions in the area of developing the Azar and Shangul oil fields in Iran," the Russian firm said in a statement on Wednesday.

The Russian company will sign a contract after evaluating the project's technical and economic feasibility, it said.

"We are interested in cooperation with NIOC and consider the agreement that has been reached with our Iranian colleagues to be promising," AFP quoted Gazprom Neft Chairman Alexander Dokov as saying in the statement.

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