Tasnim � A number of Iranian lawmakers plan to put forward a motion on Tuesday to temporarily suspend a $5 billion gas deal recently signed with France�s energy giant Total, a parliamentarian announced on Monday.

�The parliament has always been particularly sensitive about national interests�; we do not allow the interests of the country to be questioned or, God forbid, undermined,� Hossein Ali Haji-Deligani told the Tasnim News Agency.

�We believe that this agreement should be revised,� the parliamentarian added.

He further said a triple emergency motion on suspension of the major gas deal is slated to be submitted to the parliament�s presiding board on Tuesday.

�We are currently collecting signatures from the MPs for this motion,� Haji-Deligani went on to say.

The motion would come as some Iranian experts and top figures in oil and gas industry have voiced their strong opposition to the $5 billion gas deal, saying Total has hatched �a sinister plot� against the Islamic Republic.

Total and China�s National Petroleum Company (CNPC) struck the $5 billion agreement with Iran earlier this week.

The agreement was signed on July 3 at a ceremony in Tehran attended by Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zangeneh, Total�s CEO Patrick Pouyanne and senior officials from China�s CNPC and Iran�s Petropars.

Total holds a 50.1 interest in the South Pars project with state-owned China National Petroleum Corporation owning 30 percent and Iran�s Petropars 19.9 percent.

The development of Phase 11 of the South Pars project will cost up to $5 billion.

The vast offshore gas field is shared between Iran and Qatar, where Total is also a major player in gas production as well as in oil and refining. Tehran calls the giant field South Pars while Doha calls it the North Field.