TEHRAN - The CEO of Iran’s Energy Exchange Muhammad Nazifi on Wednesday highlighted the country’s significant capacities in oil, gas and other energy carriers, stressing that the only viable solution to address imbalances in the energy market is leveraging transparent and competitive mechanisms through the Energy Exchange.  
Speaking at a press conference on the occasion of Journalist’s Day Nazifi, he acknowledged media efforts in covering energy sector developments and emphasized the strategic importance of the oil and gas industry in the national economy. 
He noted that Iran, with its vast fossil fuel resources, has over a century of experience in oil and gas, dating back to the discovery of the Masjed Soleyman oil field—the first in the Middle East—which marked the beginning of Iran’s modern energy industry.  
Despite these resources, he said, mismanagement in allocation and consumption has hindered Iran’s role in regional energy markets and even caused challenges in meeting domestic demand. This issue is even more acute in the water sector due to natural resource scarcity.
Nazifi asserted that the Energy Exchange believes market mechanisms are the only sustainable way to balance supply and demand. The exchange’s role is to provide a transparent, competitive and accessible platform for optimal interaction between market participants.  
He said the Energy Exchange has launched multiple markets, including those for oil, gas and derivatives, electricity (regular, green and free markets), unconventional water and related financial and derivative instruments.  
New tools promoting efficiency and sustainable development, such as electricity and gas savings certificates, are now tradable. Similar water-saving instruments are available to water and wastewater companies, while the launch of a carbon market is underway in collaboration with the Department of the Environment.