Speaking in a joint press conference with the 13th administration spokesman on Saturday; Owji further said that over the next few days five petrochemical complexes are due to come on stream, which will increase total petrochemical production capacity by 10 million tons per year from current level of 90 million tons to 100 million tons annually.

He continued that the total volume of collecting associated gases which has reached 11.5 million cubic meters per day over the past three years will hit a new record over the next few days by collecting an additional 4.5 million cubic meters of associated gases per day.

He told the reporters that the 13th administration has been able to attract 5 billion dollars of the private sector’s investments in the West and East of Karoun region to accelerate collecting associated gases, adding the figure will rise to 30 million cubic meters per day at the end of current Iranian calendar year on March 19 2025.

Referring to receiving the 2024 year’s prize of GECF for collecting gas flares, Owji cited GECF figures that Iran, despite cruel sanctions, has been able to raise its natural gas production over the recent years by 5.2 percent annually, more than twice the global average at 2.5 percent.   

Elsewhere in his remarks, he said that during the 13th administration in office, gasoline production rose from 96 million liters per day to 114 million liters per day while gasoil production rose by 9 million liters on a daily basis to 114 million liters per day.

Referring to some of presidential candidates’ statements on applying discounts in selling oil to other countries, he said: over the past three years, the amount of discount has been far less than those that were being applied during the 11th and 12th administrations from 2013 to 2021.

By taking new initiatives including using trans-territorial oil refining capacities, the 13th administration has been able to raise oil sales, so that it can be said that we never sold oil with high discounts and I deny the recent statements made recently in this regard, he said.    

The Petroleum Minister added: In 2020, Iran’s oil, gas and petrochemical revenues stood at 30 billion dollars but it rose to 65 billion dollars during the last Iranian year of 1402, which ended on March 20 2024. 

"Some say that the Biden administration is not strict in applying sanctions, consequently has facilitated Iran’s oil exports. Here I would like to announce that this view is not correct because during the Biden administration, 600 new tough sanctions have been imposed against Iran, of which in 400 cases Iran’s oil industry has been targeted." Owji announced

The 13th administration has built new tracks for the way of selling oil so that the next administrations will be able to sell oil easily and no one can stand in the way of oil exports, he said.

In the early days of the 13th administration in office in 2021, the U.S had decided to confiscate Iran’s oil tankers, but we could leave the obstacle behind by deploying the country’s armed forces, according to him.

he concluded: Currently Iran exports crude oil to 15 different countries in the world  and "it is interesting to tell you that a great number of oil refineries at our export destinations have spent a lot of money to adapt their oil refining facilities with the oil they receive from Iran as feed."