Iran's oil minister said yesterday top state oil company executives faced no "serious" charges, rejecting reports they were officially accused of misconduct in the award of lucrative South Pars gas deals.

Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh also insisted that the award of a major deal to an international company for South Pars phases 9-10 would not fall victim to legal wrangling.

"This is not a serious thing, these are only rumours," he said from Seoul, where he is on an official visit. "I don't believe anything serious has happened to National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) officials."

The Financial Times earlier reported Iran's judiciary had filed charges against NIOC's senior management and other top officials accused of misconduct in the South Pars deals. It said they had been charged by a Tehran court and released on bail.

In Tehran, government spokesman Abdollah Ramazanzadeh said, "Until now no official summons has been received by Zanganeh or his deputies."

"As an informed person, it is natural to be questioned, but until now nothing has been done which would cause any sensitivity for the government," he added, referring to possible informal questioning of the officials as witnesses.

Iran's media have persistently reported that the oil minister and Central Bank Governor Mohsen Nourbakhsh were about to face corruption charges. But Zanganeh denied the reports.

Some reformers see the potential charges as part of a drive by conservatives to weaken the reformist government of President Mohammad Khatami.

Asked whether he felt he was being targeted by political opponents, Zanganeh said, "Usually we have these reports from the inspection organisations."

Iran's Inspectorate General, a state body dominated by hardliners, has been behind some of the mismanagement charges against oil officials and Petropars, the semi-private offshore oil and gas firm Zanganeh helped create.

Analysts say hardliners have had their knives out since late last year for Zanganeh and Petropars, which is involved in projects worth more than $5 billion to develop six of the eight South Pars phases awarded thus far.