A workshop titled “Passive Defense Requirements in War” was held to introduce the fundamentals of passive defense and examine crisis management during emergencies such as war, earthquakes and other events. Participants included Mohammad Mehdi Pooyandeh, director general of passive defense at the Oil Ministry, and Zohreh Yousefian-Molla, adviser on women’s affairs to the oil minister, along with women’s affairs advisers from four major companies and staff vice presidencies.

At the workshop, Pooyandeh described the structure of passive defense and crisis management working groups within the ministry, saying the framework follows emergency response procedures and operates at three levels.

He said the executive committee for passive defense and crisis management sits at Level 3, while the National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company, the National Iranian Oil Company, the National Iranian Gas Company and the National Petrochemical Company function at a supplementary Level 2. State and private vital areas, as well as state and private sensitive areas, are also at Level 2. South Pars Gas Refining Company and South Pars petrochemical plants operate at supplementary Level 1, and operating area subsidiaries are at Level 1.

Pooyandeh said services are provided based on each company’s level and the potential threats they face in a crisis.

He added that the Oil Ministry’s major passive defense policies include assessing and categorizing assets, monitoring various threats and more. He said that to ensure the best decisions and planning under crisis conditions, a senior commander has been appointed by the oil minister and the head of the Passive Defense Organization for the five vital regions — South Pars, Mahshahr, Kharg Island, South Oilfields and Bandar Abbas — to create better convergence and synergy in special circumstances.