Tehran: U.S. enters Iran to lay pipeline

TEHRAN, July 1 (UPI) -- Iran complained U.S. combat forces operating in Iraq took over an oil field in western Iran, laying around 300 feet of pipeline.

The Iranian state-funded broadcaster Press TV reports American forces attempted earlier in the week to lay around 300 feet of pipelines in Ilam province, which borders the Iraqi province of Diyala.

The report says Iranian forces drove American tanks from the territory after they laid pipes marked with Iraqi flags.

Iranian officials said they lodged formal complaints with their Iraqi counterparts regarding the American "intruders."

Dozens of international oil companies attended a daylong auction on 20-year service contracts in Iraq, with little fanfare.

BP and Chinese companies agreed to Iraqi terms for developments at the Rumaila oil field in southern Iraq, though no bids were offered for the Mansuriya field in Diyala province due to instability.

Several oil fields straddle the border between both countries.