Paris. France's Total SA says it has stopped selling gasoline to Iran, becoming the latest oil company to announce a halt of sales to a country increasingly targeted by international sanctions.

Total spokesman Paul Floren on Monday confirmed the company had suspended sales of gasoline to Iran but gave no further details.

Moscow. Russian Energy Ministry Sergei Shmatko hopes Gazprom and Exxon Neftegaz Ltd. will reach a compromise on the Sakhalin-1 energy project in the nearest future.

"We are planning to hold talks and I hope we'll manage to reach a compromise," Shmatko said on Monday, adding that talks could be held soon, including with the Sakhalin-1 project operator Exxon Neftegaz Ltd., a subsidiary of U.S. oil major Exxon Mobil.

Sulu. The local exploration unit of global oil giant Exxon Mobil Corp. expects to complete drilling activities off Sulu in August, an official said. Ian A. Fischer, managing director of ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Philippines B.V., told reporters drilling and exploration should take 60-90 days.

Houston. EXXONMOBIL Exploration and Production Philippines B.V. has started drilling its third exploration well in the South Sulu Sea early this month, in view of encouraging indications from the first two wells it earlier drilled. The cost of drilling the third well was estimated to hit $100 million, similar to the costs of drilling each of the first two wells.

Singapore. Siemens Water Technologies Corp. and Aramco Overseas Company, B.V., a subsidiary of Saudi Aramco, have signed an exclusive patent and technology license agreement for the commercialization of the EcoRight membrane bioreactor (MBR), a new wastewater treatment and water reuse system.

Gujarat. Reliance Industries , controlled by billionaire Mukesh Ambani, has discovered more oil on the western coast, raising the potential of exploratory blocks it has been drilling, the company said on Monday. 

India's biggest conglomerate whose businesses span petrochemicals, refining, oil and gas exploration and retail said the current flow was at 410 barrels of oil per day (bopd) at the at the Cambay basin block in Gujarat.

Baghdad. Oil Minister Hussein al-Shahristani said on Saturday that Iraq is seeking around 20 billion dollars to build four new refineries as it seeks to become a net exporter of petroleum products.

"The investment in the new refineries will be around 20 billion dollars. Each one will cost around five billion dollars," he told reporters at a conference attended by global energy and construction giants interested in bidding for the contracts.

London. Major oil producers Total, Eni and Heritage Oil have held meetings with the Afghanistan Mining Ministry to express interest and get information about upcoming oil tenders in Afghanistan, the country's mining minister said Friday.