TEHRAN - Petroleum Minister Mohsen Paknejad says Iran’s crude oil exports continued without interruption throughout the 40-day war, despite attacks on oil and gas infrastructure and the severe logistical challenges created by the aggression and subsequent maritime blockade.
“During the 40-day war, despite the wartime conditions, the country’s crude oil exports did not stop even for one hour from February 28 until the temporary ceasefire was established,” Paknejad said.
Paknejad was referring to the joint US-Israeli act of aggression against Iran, which began on February 28. According to the minister, the war failed to halt Iran’s crude exports, even as Iranian energy infrastructure came under repeated attack.
The attacks included strikes on oil storage and distribution facilities as well as major gas-processing infrastructure. The South Pars gas complex, one of the country’s most strategically important energy assets, was among the facilities targeted during the fighting.
The challenge to Iran’s oil exports extended beyond the physical damage caused by the attacks. Tehran subsequently faced a maritime blockade that threatened to complicate both the sale and delivery of crude to international customers.
Paknejad said the first blockade involved a line stretching from Ras al-Hadd to Pakistan’s Gwadar port. In response, Iranian authorities adopted measures intended to keep oil sales and deliveries moving despite the restrictions.
“The process of selling oil and delivering it to customers was carried out thousands of kilometers away from the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman,” the minister said.
According to Paknejad, the first blockade lasted from around April 13 until June 18. A temporary pause in the blockade gave Iran an opportunity to move a significant volume of crude outside the waters of the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman and position it in locations from which it could subsequently be delivered to customers.
That pause, he said, was used to reduce Iran’s exposure to the maritime restrictions and preserve its ability to fulfill oil deliveries.
The pressure resumed on July 15, when a second blockade was imposed and, according to Paknejad, remains in place.
“The oil industry has not sat idle and has not stopped,” he said. “We are pursuing various solutions and different measures so that we can reach a day when we are able to completely bypass this blockade.”
At the same time, the Petroleum Ministry says it has continued efforts to expand domestic production despite the wartime conditions.
Paknejad said a program targeting an additional 250,000 barrels per day of crude production has moved into the implementation phase, with around 70,000 to 80,000 barrels per day already realized.
The ministry has also reported progress in collecting associated gas that would otherwise be burned off through flaring.
Since the beginning of the current administration, around 11.5 million cubic meters per day of flare gas has been collected through various projects, Paknejad said.
Combined with the roughly 5.5 million cubic meters per day already being captured before the administration took office, total flare-gas collection has now reached about 17 million cubic meters per day.
The increase is significant both from an energy-efficiency perspective and because captured associated gas can be returned to productive use rather than being wasted through routine flaring.
The resilience of Iran’s energy system was also tested by direct attacks on its gas-processing infrastructure.
Paknejad recalled that on March 18, the enemy struck four gas refineries in Asaluyeh, covering the third through sixth refineries. The attacks forced Iran to reduce a significant portion of its gas production capacity.
According to the minister, however, specialists from Iran’s oil and gas industries were able to restore a substantial part of the lost capacity, while reconstruction work began shortly after the strikes.
“Perhaps within the next few months, we will be able to see the results and witness an increase in the country’s gas production,” Paknejad said.