Tel Aviv is furious after French energy giant Total says it is not worth the risk to invest in the “complex” Israel.

Lebanon's parliament speaker says the Israeli move to license energy exploration risks depletion of Lebanon's potential offshore oil and gas reserves.

Tehran says China's state-owned energy giant CNPC has replaced Total in the multibillion-dollar South Pars gas project after the French first left Iran due to US sanctions.

Petroleum Minister Bijan Zanganeh says the French energy giant has officially left the country, ending speculations over whether it would stay to finish a gas project following the return of US sanctions.

Total is pulling out of the multibillion-dollar gas project after failing to secure a waiver from US sanctions.

Iran says French energy giant Total is still to officially announce its withdrawal from one of the country’s biggest gas projects with a top official saying no change has been occurred in the combination of a consortium formed over the project.

China’s CNPC will take over if Total quits the South Pars project and in case both companies leave it, Iran’s PetroPars will step in, NIOC deputy head Golamreza Manouchehri says.