Oil and gas group Statoil, said today the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) had begun an "informal inquiry" into a consultancy deal linked to Iran.
"It [the SEC] has issued a request for Statoil to produce certain documents in connection with this, and the group intends to cooperate fully with the inquiry," Norway's biggest company said in a statement.
The news follows a scandal over a $15.2 million consultancy deal with London-based advisers that the Norwegian police are investigating as possible bribes to obtain contracts in Iran, where Statoil is developing a huge gas field.
The scandal already toppled Statoil's chief executive, Mr Olav Fjell, and chairman Leif Terje Loeddesoel earlier this week in the biggest crisis since Statoil was partly privatised in 2001.
Statoil's shares traded down 1.2 per cent at 62.75 Norwegian crowns, slipping further after the announcement but roughly in line with the trend of the Oslo benchmark index and outperforming its peers earlier today.
The news followed remarks by Oil and Energy Minister Mr Einar Steensnaes who said that the Iran scandal had hurt but not caused irreparable damage to Statoil's reputation.