Political upheaval in Iran will hamper the country’s beleaguered oil and gas industries, energy experts say, and encourage Tehran to look to China for investment.

Iran’s oil and gas sectors were suffering from a lack of investment before the dispute over last month’s election because most western operators were wary of engagement. But disquiet following the re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad as president, dismissed as fraud by Mir-Hossein Moussavi, his challenger, has exacerbated that fear.