IRNA – A triple-urgent bill for temporary freezing the contract with Total in Iran’s Parliament (Majlis) was removed from Majlis agenda on Wednesday after some of the signatories to the bill withdrew their support from it, said a member of Majlis presiding board.

The members of Parliament today in a public session started considering the triple- urgent bill on 'the government commitment to national interests' in new oil and gas contracts. However, as the number of signatories to the bill decreased to lower than 15, it was removed from the Parliament agenda.

Iran’s Minister of Petroleum Bijan Zangeneh, at the beginning of the session, elaborated on details and the process of the contract with the French oil giant Total and answered some questions of the legislators.

Iran’s National Oil Company (NIOC) on July 3 signed a contract with an international consortium, headed by Total, to develop the phase 11 of the South Pars gas field.

The 4.8 billion-dollar contract is the first major gas and oil agreement since anti-Iran sanction relief after implementation of the historic nuclear agreement between Iran and world major powers (the permanent United Nations Security council members plus Germany) in 2015.

According to the internal regulations of Iran's Parliament, a triple-urgent bill is considered when the case is “thoroughly urgent, vital and meant to confront an imminent danger”.