What is impressive about Iran’s intentions is the fact that its offshore equipment is indigenously produced, a result of 30 years of U.S.-led sanctions stymieing Tehran’s efforts to acquire advanced offshore technology. The Fars News Agency reported May 4 that Iranian Oil Minister Gholamhossein Nozari announced that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will inaugurate the 14,000-ton, $400 million Iran-Alborz semi-submersible drilling rig, designed to operate in the Caspian, in “the coming weeks.”
