TEHRAN – A senior official at the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) has called for continued exploration in the Zagros region and more extensive assessments of potential resources in northern, northwestern, northeastern and central Iran, as well as the Persian Gulf.
Farrokh Alikhani, acting head of executive affairs and director of NIOC’s Integrated Planning Department, said exploration programs should also focus on hydrogen, helium and unconventional hydrocarbon resources.
Referring to NIOC board decisions and the role of exploration in the company’s value chain, Alikhani said exploration was the starting point of the chain and played a vital role in securing the hydrocarbon resources needed by the country.
He cited the discovery of gas reserves in the Pazan and Takht-e fields as successful examples of exploration activities, saying the two fields hold a combined estimated 17.5 trillion cubic feet of gas.
Achieving these results despite difficult economic conditions, sanctions and global tensions demonstrated the capabilities of oil industry professionals in managing exploration operations, he added.
Alikhani described Iran’s leading position in gas and gas condensate reserve discoveries as a significant achievement, noting that the results were not attributable to a single organization.
Domestic and foreign contractors, along with various sectors of the oil industry, contributed to the discoveries, he said.
Alikhani stressed that exploration priorities should be determined based on engineering, geological and geophysical studies.
One of the main priorities is to continue and monitor exploration activities in the Zagros region, where hydrocarbon potential has already been established, he said. Further studies could lead to the discovery of additional resources.
He added that exploration should also be expanded to other parts of the country, including northern, northwestern and northeastern Iran, central Iran and the Persian Gulf, with specialized studies used to identify and assess their potential.
Exploration programs should not be limited to conventional hydrocarbon resources, Alikhani said, emphasizing the need to include hydrogen, helium and unconventional hydrocarbon deposits in research and exploration plans.
Alikhani said exploration activities required sustained support from the oil industry, noting that unsuccessful drilling operations were an inherent part of the exploration process.
Failure to achieve the expected results from a well should not discourage exploration teams, he said, because each drilling operation provides additional information about the country’s subsurface structures and improves geological understanding.
 Alikhani identified the use of young professionals and modern technologies as essential to the future of exploration, adding that NIOC was moving toward establishing structures to support digital transformation.
He said the company should capitalize on the capabilities of younger specialists and artificial intelligence tools to make exploration processes smarter and more efficient.
He also highlighted education and the development of future generations as important priorities for NIOC’s Exploration Directorate.
Supporting students’ scientific activities and providing opportunities for them to pursue their interests, he said, could help identify and nurture talent for the future of the oil industry.
Exploring new oil and gas resources remains one of NIOC’s core responsibilities. The company’s Exploration Directorate conducts geological and geophysical studies and exploratory drilling operations across onshore and offshore areas of Iran.
The Zagros region is among the country’s most important hydrocarbon-bearing areas. Alongside conventional resources, Iran’s exploration programs also include studies of unconventional resources, such as shale oil and gas and gas hydrates, to assess their potential and determine the feasibility of commercial development.