Javad Owji, who made the remarks during his visit to southwestern province of Fars to inaugurate and give the go-ahead for some projects, added Iran is now producing more than 3.3 million barrels of oil per day.

“We are devising a plan to increase the country’s oil output as we have our own customers for it,” The minister said.

“All measures have been carried out under difficult circumstances caused by sanctions,” underlined Owji, adding the U.S. has imposed 223 more sanctions on Iran since the Raeisi administration took office two years ago.

U.S. Treasury: Iran sanctions not relaxed

Speaking to reporters at the annual meetings for the International Monetary Fund and World Bank on Wednesday, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen rejected a widely held notion that the U.S. had gradually relaxed some enforcement of sanctions on Iranian oil sales as part of a wider efforts at a diplomatic rapprochement, Time reported.

“We have not in any way relaxed our sanctions on Iranian oil,” she said, adding the U.S. constantly reviews new information that could justify a tightening of sanctions. “We will continue to do that.”