97: Chapter 97 The most important thing now is to get weapons and equipment.

It wasn't that Major General Zaha didn't want to extend the period for naturalizing Iran's oil and gas, but if he extended it to 15 years, Iran would likely have strong objections.

Deputy Commander-in-Chief Mahad considered it and said, "That's acceptable. However, if Syria's annual oil and gas production increases, the repayment period must be shortened accordingly."

"This can be included as a clause in the oil and gas lease agreement," Major General Zaha naturally agreed. No one knew how much production could increase in the future, so making a temporary promise didn't matter.

Subsequently, Mahad and Major General Zaha discussed the delivery issues for the first year of the oil lease.

After discussion, they decided that within one month of signing the lease agreement, 15 million barrels of oil and 2 billion cubic meters of natural gas would be paid; within three months, 20 million barrels of oil and 5 billion cubic meters of natural gas; within six months, 15 million barrels of oil and 5 billion cubic meters of natural gas; and the remaining 3 billion cubic meters of natural gas would be paid within eight months.

Such a payment schedule would not affect Iran's production, and Deputy Commander-in-Chief Mahad was relatively satisfied.

Major General Zaha wanted Iran to finish the payments in a shorter timeframe, but after Mahad's explanation, he could only helplessly agree. After all, it was a matter of who held the initiative, and Syria could only passively accept.

Deputy Commander-in-Chief Mahad set a requirement, saying, "The oil and gas leased by Syria can only be used to purchase weapons and equipment and cannot be resold for foreign exchange. Otherwise, Iran reserves the right to interrupt the oil and gas lease at any time."

He was worried that after leasing the oil and gas, Syria would not use it to procure weapons and equipment to retake the oil and gas fields occupied by the USA as soon as possible, but would instead resell it for other purposes.

"Rest assured, the leased oil and gas will be paid directly to the arms dealers through Iran at that time; there will be no reselling," Major General Zaha promised.

Syria's own channels for exporting oil and gas were not very smooth; how could they have the capability to resell oil and gas leased from Iran?

"That's good," Mahad said. "After signing the agreement, the Persian Lion State National Guard and Syria will establish a new joint venture to extract oil and gas. This joint venture will have the right of first refusal for oil and gas field extraction in Syria."

"That might not be appropriate," Major General Zaha refused. "I can promise that the joint venture will have the choice of oil and gas fields with abundant reserves, and the total reserves of these fields will exceed two to three times the amount of oil and gas leased to be returned to Iran."

Abundant reserves did not mean easy extraction. If the joint venture were given priority choice, they would take all the easy-to-extract fields, leaving the remaining fields with higher extraction costs, which would be unfavorable for Syria. Major General Zaha could only try to change the conditions.

Mahad thought about it and felt it wouldn't have much impact, saying, "Alright then."

In any case, the oil and gas returned each year would be negligible compared to what Iran already possessed. It was just an additional source of income.

Major General Zaha thought for a moment and said, "If Syria's domestic situation sees a major favorable change and we reclaim the oil and gas fields occupied by the USA ahead of schedule, we have the right to terminate the oil and gas lease agreement early. Can we add this clause?"

Mahad felt Major General Zaha was daydreaming. Was it even possible for the USA to withdraw from Syria within three years?

He said without hesitation, "No problem. As long as Syria reclaims the oil and gas fields early, you can interrupt the subsequent oil and gas leasing of the agreement at any time."

Through the bargaining between Deputy Commander-in-Chief Mahad and Major General Zaha, the terms of the oil and gas lease agreement were quickly finalized.

Iran was already facing the dilemma of being unable to export its oil and gas. Now that there was a channel to consume the stockpiled oil and gas, they couldn't wait to agree with both hands raised.

Mahad refused to be stubborn on clauses that could be relaxed, and the negotiations between the two sides proceeded quickly. A first draft of the oil and gas lease agreement was produced.

As soon as Major General Zaha finished the negotiations, he immediately informed General Faraj of the agreement's contents.

"General Faraj, I have negotiated with Deputy Commander-in-Chief Mahad of the Persian Lion State National Guard, and we have basically settled on the oil and gas lease agreement," Major General Zaha reported the good news immediately.

"What is the result?" General Faraj asked urgently.

"Iran has agreed to lease us 200 million barrels of oil and 50 billion cubic meters of natural gas, to be paid over three years. In the first year, they will pay 50 million barrels of oil and 15 billion cubic meters of natural gas; in the second year, 100 million barrels of oil and 20 billion cubic meters of natural gas; and in the third year, 50 million barrels of oil and 15 billion cubic meters of natural gas," Major General Zaha stated the core terms.

"Excellent. 200 million barrels of oil, 50 billion cubic meters of natural gas. With this much procurement funding, we can buy a lot of weapons and equipment," General Faraj was very excited.

"Indeed. It's just a pity that Chaos Company only sells the Tianlei Series Anti-Aircraft Missiles. It would be great if they had more weapons and equipment for sale," Major General Zaha added.

"I don't believe an arms dealer would only sell one type of weapon. Chaos Company should have other equipment; it's just likely not convenient for them to sell it yet. My concern is that the variety of weapons Chaos Company sells is too small to meet our needs."

General Faraj dismissed Major General Zaha's thought; he believed no arms dealer could survive long-term by selling only one type of weapon.

Major General Zaha then informed General Faraj about the future repayment of the oil and gas, and General Faraj had no objections whatsoever.

Who knows what the future holds? The priority was to get the 200 million barrels of oil and 50 billion cubic meters of natural gas first. At worst, they would just fulfill the oil and gas lease agreement in the future. Even if they fulfilled the agreement, Syria wouldn't be at a loss.

"General Faraj, then can this oil and gas lease agreement be confirmed for signing?" Major General Zaha asked after finishing the explanation of the terms to General Faraj.

"After I communicate with the government officials, it should be ready for signing. I don't think the government officials will have any objections. Getting weapons and equipment is the top priority now; they won't interfere."

After communicating with the government officials last time, General Faraj understood their mindset. As long as their pockets weren't touched for now, he had a free hand in everything else.

"Alright. Then I will wait for your good news, General Faraj," Major General Zaha said no more.

The oil and gas lease agreement was set. Once Syria's internal approval was obtained, they could sign the agreement with the Persian Lion State National Guard and use the leased oil and gas to procure the Tianlei Series Anti-Aircraft Missiles according to the agreement.