political and economic delegation to normalize the relations between the states, especially in the economic sphere. After the Islamic revolution in 1979, Italian public opinion, led by the leftist parties sustained Iran. Meanwhile, the Italian government was aligned with the American position in favour of economic sanctions against Iran. During the Iran–Iraq War, when Iraq led by Saddam Hussein fought against Iran, Italy declared its neutrality. Following the war and the election of Mohammad Khatami as president of the Islamic republic, the situation improved. In 1999 Khatami visited Rome to meet with the Italian government, and he remarked on the start of a new phase of reconstruction in which Italian energy companies tried to carve out a role in projects concerning infrastructures, energy, and technology. This was a time of intense commercial and economic cooperation between the countries. In the years of Mahamoud Ahmadinejad's presidency, who belonged to the conservative sphere, the diplomatic relations increased because Iran regarded Italy as one of its major western allies. Enrico Mattei, the founder of ENI,concluded a favourable agreement in 1957 for the Iranian government, pulling ENI away from the Seven Sisters' influence. Mattei took advantage of the Suez crisis and contacted the Shah of Persia, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. He proposed an agreement that marked a structural innovation in the world of oil companies. The deal included a company that was 50% owned by the Iranian state. What remained would be divided between Eni and NIOC, granting Iran a total share of 75%. On 14 March 1957 a deal between Eni and NIOC was signed and in the same year, on 8 September the SIRIP, Società Irano-Italienne des Pétroles, was born. The agreement failed and Mattei died in 1962 in an aeroplane crash. Italy was the first commercial partner of Iran from 2006 to 2012. In those same years, since Iran decided to keep pursuing its plan to develop and use nuclear energy, the US and the EU imposed economic and financial sanctions on some key sectors for Iran. Those penalties weighed on its trade with Italy. In 2013 Hassan Rouhani, the seventh President of the Islamic Republic of Iran considered Italy as the door to establish the relations with the rest of the EU. Until the sanctions imposed by the Security Council on Iran for the enrichment of depleted uranium, Iranian oil reserves covered 90% of Italy's oil needs. The embargo was revoked