Hassan Abbaszadeh, speaking Sunday at a ceremony marking Sha’ban holidays and the Ten-Day Dawn celebrations, said the petrochemical sector’s status as a leading industry goes beyond product sales and foreign-currency earnings. He cited deep development across upstream and downstream value chains and the growth of domestic firms supplying equipment, goods, and technical and engineering services.

Abbaszadeh said capable manufacturers in cities such as Tabriz, Shiraz and Arak now produce advanced equipment required by the industry, calling the achievement the result of years of interaction and synergy between the petrochemical sector and domestic suppliers.

Domestic capabilities grow

Referring to constraints stemming from the Iran-Iraq war and international sanctions, Abbaszadeh said the limitations pushed petrochemical companies to place more orders with domestic manufacturers, driving a sharp rise in local capabilities. Today’s equipment and goods supply, he said, is not comparable to the pre-revolution era and should be a source of pride.

He urged officials to clearly explain the industry’s achievements—particularly to younger generations—and to pursue sustained public communication. Abbaszadeh noted that heavy reliance on foreign firms persisted until the 1990s, after which policies required Iranian companies to work alongside foreign contractors, significantly strengthening domestic firms.

He said Iranian companies now execute major projects at home and successfully deliver design and engineering projects abroad. Technical know-how in petrochemicals, he added, spans three main areas, with notable progress in all—especially catalysts, one of the most complex fields. Some domestically produced catalysts are exported despite limited willingness by advanced countries to transfer such technology.

Exporting engineering services

Abbaszadeh said operations require comparatively less advanced knowledge and pose no major challenges, while maintenance and technical services have advanced to the point that Iran now exports engineering services.

He said petrochemical capacity has reached about 100 million metric tons and that production and exports continue steadily despite challenges. These achievements, he added, must be communicated consistently while also identifying future challenges.

Abbaszadeh said government bodies must continuously assess their performance, noting that public dissatisfaction ultimately reflects on officials.

Production and sales rise

He said petrochemical output rose in the first 10 months of the year compared with the same period last year, with both domestic sales and exports increasing.

Abbaszadeh cited crisis management during a recent 12-day conflict as a key achievement, saying coordination across the industry helped restore stability within days. Production continued and export records were set, he said, and for the first time detailed operating protocols were implemented for yellow, orange and red alert conditions tailored to each company.

Sovereign ruling resolves disputes

Abbaszadeh said disputes over directives, including pricing, had previously led to lawsuits and trading halts for some companies, harming the economy. From December to March last year, he said, sustained efforts secured industry consensus and engaged the Cabinet and the Economic Commission.

He said the process culminated in agreement and issuance of a sovereign ruling, later endorsed at a meeting of the heads of the three branches of government. The approval, he said, resolved the matter at the highest level and should help cement stability.

Abbaszadeh described the National Petrochemical Company as a developmental and regulatory body, not a producer, tasked with governance, regulation, arbitration and establishing stable frameworks for companies.

Capacity to rise by 7m tons

Calling the year a “golden” period for development, Abbaszadeh said about 7 million metric tons will be added to national petrochemical capacity—an unusually large annual increase. He said major petrochemical projects, infrastructure works, power plants, storage units, and new phases at Bushehr and Damavand petrochemicals, as well as other facilities in Assaluyeh, will come online soon, with additional large projects to be commissioned by year’s end.