Source: Wikimedia Commons Author: Lars Christoper Nottaasen Bloomberg reports that ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM) has hired an outside lobbying firm founded by former US Senator Don Nickles [R - Oklahoma] to lobby the US government on Iran and Iranian sanctions. ExxonMobil, like other oil majors, wants to be able to invest in Iran's aging oil and natural gas fields, which are some of the most economical in the world [especially Iran's oilfields]. Sanctions prohibit Western companies from doing so, which is why the first step would be to see if Iran and the West can agree on a deal over Iran's nuclear ambitions. That in itself is a stretch, but ExxonMobil is known for playing the long game when it has to [such as exploring Russia's Arctic oil and natural gas prospects]. It remains to be seen if ExxonMobil's lobbying efforts will get anywhere due to fierce opposition from Western powers and governments over Iran's nuclear deal and geopolitical stances, but interesting none the less.