Speaking during a virtual parliamentary meeting attended by the oil minister, Energy Optimization Organization President Esmaeil Seqab-Esfahani said Iran faces significant challenges in meeting the nation’s energy needs in the coming year, according to ICANA.

He praised the efforts of the Oil Ministry and its personnel for maintaining operations under difficult conditions and stressed the need for realistic planning, including consideration of worst-case scenarios, to minimize potential damage in the energy sector.

Seqab-Esfahani said fuel smuggling remains an ongoing issue and called for a thorough examination of its root causes.

He argued that Iran’s fundamental energy challenge lies in its high energy intensity — the amount of energy consumed per unit of economic output — rather than production capacity alone. He noted that neighboring countries, including Turkey and China, have made substantial progress in reducing their energy intensity indicators.

“The main issue facing Iran today goes beyond production,” he said. “While production has its own challenges, the key to resolving the energy imbalance lies in managing consumption.”

Seqab-Esfahani said international indicators support this assessment and emphasized that practical solutions are available. He added that multiple scenarios have already been designed to help the country overcome the current energy imbalance.