He said: “I hope and pray that things become easy for the Iranian nation.”

Addressing reporters on the second day of the 24th Iran Oil Show in Tehran, Barkindo said: “OPEC tries to depoliticize oil. I have told my colleagues at OPEC that you must leave your passports home when coming to this organization.”

Iran has never forgotten its people. Iran is a hero in terms of diversifying its energy sources, he said.

“I congratulate Iranian people for displaying integrity at the time of floods and gathered women and children in certain areas to help the flood-affected.

“You can confront natural disasters and I hope you will be successful to confront environmental challenges.

“Iran is one of OPEC founding members and has been cooperating with the organization for over 60 year. I am the 28th OPEC secretary general and the first OPEC secretary general was Iranian.

“Mr. Zangeneh is the longest lasting oil minister in OPEC and I have met with him times and times because of his experiences. Zangeneh is a supporter and fan of OPEC over decades and has played a significant role in the cooperation of OPEC and non-OPEC producers.

“I consulted with Mr. Zangeneh prior to the 2016 historical OPEC statement.

“We enjoy the expert cooperation of Iranian experts at OPEC secretariat that are streamlined by Mr. Hossein Kazempour Ardebili.

“Iran is one of the key energy centers in the world and enjoys the largest oil and gas reserves in the world.”