Euro zone trade booms in May, EU-Russia commerce surges

Euro zone’s trade boomed in May with both exports and imports of goods to the rest of the world growing markedly.The European Union, the world’s main trader, also saw its trade increase with all its main partners, with a surge of exchanges with Russia despite economic sanctions on Moscow. Eurostat said on Friday the 19-country currency area in May exported goods worth 189.6 billion euros (167.08 billion pounds) to the rest of the world, an increase by 12.9 percent on the year. Imports also grew yearly by 16.4 percent for a total volume of 168.1 billion euros. Source: Euronews

Iran Plans First Oil-And-Gas Tenders After Sanctions Easing

The Iranian government is planning to announce tenders for the exploration of 14 oil-and-gas blocks over the next three months, a top executive at Iran’s NIOC state oil company has said.
Last week, France’s Total became the first Western company to sign a development agreement with Iran since the partial lifting of sanctions in exchange for restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program. Source: RadioFreeEurope