The paralysis in the bureaucracy has hit a wide range of projects, mostly new proposals, but also existing exploration activities that need decisions from the Oil Ministry and National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC).
The vacuum was exposed when the conservative Ahmadinejad was elected president in June, replacing Mohammad Khatami.
It became acute in mid-August after the administration change and when parliament rejected Ahmadinejad's oil minister candidate, Ali Saeedlou.
Ahmadinejad
