The National Iranian Oil Company  (NIOC) has excluded Russia’s Gazprom Company from the proposed development of the Azar oilfield.

An official from the NIOC said that Gazprom would be replaced by a consortium of local companies according to the Fars News Agency.

The Azar field will have a capacity of around 62,000 barrels-a-day and is located at Mehran in province of Ilam in western Iran.

Gazprom was reported as saying that it had no warning from NIOC before being taken off the project.