Behzad Shamsi said the company’s finance department, which has full legal access to such data, does not confirm the accuracy of the figures cited in some media reports.

He said the amount of uncollected revenue from crude oil and gas condensate exports is far lower than what has been reported, noting that the collection of export revenues is an operational process. As with any commercial transaction, he said, part of the settlement is made in cash while another part is subject to a set payment period.

Shamsi said about $2 billion in receivables currently remains outstanding in line with normal practice and is expected to be settled within the next two to three months.

Emphasizing that there are no stalled receivables at present, he said some buyers, like other businesses, may face temporary difficulties, resulting in a limited amount of several hundred million dollars. He added that bank guarantees obtained for such cases have been enforced and that these receivables are expected to be collected.