BHP, Rio face EU probe on iron ore JV

Regulators to see whether deal is restrictive business agreement

LONDON/MELBOURNE: BHP Billiton Ltd and Rio Tinto Group face a European Union investigation into whether their Australian iron ore joint venture curbs competition.

Regulators will probe whether the deal between the world's second- and third-largest iron ore producers is a restrictive business agreement, the European Commission, the EU antitrust authority in Brussels, said. It didn't give a deadline to complete the investigation.