TEHRAN – Officials at Iran’s Oil Ministry during the administration of the late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi have taken a major step to turn the country into the gas hub in the region after signing a memorandum of understanding between Tehran and Moscow for gas supply from Russia to Iran
Turkey had been expected to transit gas to Europe and the countries of the region but Iran’s active diplomacy at the Ministry of Oil in the administration of the late president Raisi provided Iran with this opportunity.
According to Owji, Iran and Russia sit atop 60 percent of the world’s gas reserves, so signing this MoU is a great achievement with an impact on evolving energy equilibrium in the region.
The principal framework for gas transfer from Russia to Iran has been on the agenda since a long time ago and the late president insisted on its finalization, he said, adding that there is a readiness for changing the memorandum of understanding (Mo) into a contract in a short time, which will be a turning point for both countries, according to Mehr news agency.
“With this agreement, Iran’s share of trade will rise causing changes in international balances. This agreement will act as a revolution in the energy and industry scene of the region,” he said.
This MoU between the holders of 60 percent of the global gas reserves, as clean energy, has been signed based on mutual interests in the international frameworks and will soon enter the contract and implementation stage, Owji said. 

Iran’s Oil Output Rises by 60%

Owji said that the country’s oil production volume has risen by 60 percent over the three past years, namely during the administration of the late president Raisi that assumed office in August 2021.
Owji added, “Today I provided a comprehensive report to the Cabinet about the oil production and exports even though these reports are sent to the high-ranking officials of the country every month including Leader of the Islamic Revolution, heads of the three branches of the government and some chairmen of the specialized committees of the Parliament.”
He went on to say that the oil production volume stood at 2.290 million barrels per day (bpd) during the Iranian calendar year of 1398, which ended on March 20, 2019, but fell to 2.106 million barrels the next year and then stood at 2.107 million barrels in the Iranian months of Khordad (June 2021).
When the administration of the late Iranian president Raisi took office in August 2021, the oil production volume rose to 2.4 million bpd for the remaining months of that year and rose to 2.6 million barrels per day in 1401 (ended on 20 March 2022).
According to him, the trend of rising oil production continued so that it reached 3.3 million barrels per day last year (ended March 19, 2024), and the oil production trend increased in the current year (started March 20, 2024) to 3.570 million barrels per day so far, Shana reported.
Thus, as the figures show, oil production has risen by 60 percent over the past three years, Owji said.