Speaking on the sidelines of a Cabinet meeting, Paknejad emphasized that Iran faces no obstacles in selling its oil. “To make it clear for our people, we sold 21,000 more barrels of oil per day — roughly 630,000 barrels per month — in the first four months of this year compared with last year,” he said.

In response to the recent claim made in the latest statement of the [Persian] Gulf Cooperation Council, which considered the Arash field to belong to Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, he said: This is a claim; they make this claim while the Arash gas field, as far as I remember, was discovered in the 1960s, and its first exploratory well was also drilled 25 years later, in the 2000s, under the name ‘Arash 1’.

The minister added that part of the well extends about 750 meters to an old demarcation line and that Iran’s Foreign Ministry is following up the matter. He said once the issue is resolved, the Oil Ministry is ready to begin development.

Imported premium gasoline to hit stations soon

Paknejad said the process of importing premium gasoline is underway and the fuel will soon be available at stations. He stressed the move will not affect current fuel quotas or pricing, but rather serve as an additional service.

He noted that private suppliers play a role in pricing imported premium gasoline. “People can choose to use it if they want, depending on the final cost, or they can continue using their existing quotas,” he said.

Winter gas supply, industry impact

On the possibility of gas shortages for industries during the coming winter, Paknejad said supply depends on household and commercial consumption levels, which rise as temperatures drop. He said industries and power plants may need to rely more on other fuels, such as diesel, as part of their energy mix.

Gradual increase in upstream gas production

Paknejad declined to give precise figures for expected gas output this winter but said production is gradually increasing due to new work at one of the South Pars phases.

He added that small refineries, seen as a way to bypass sanctions, have been given legal and regulatory support to access feedstock through simplified procedures.

Production Targets under development plan

While avoiding specific figures on current crude production, Paknejad said the Seventh Development Plan sets a target of 4.8 million barrels per day in capacity, with actual production expected to reach 4.58 million barrels per day. He acknowledged financing remains a major challenge to achieving those goals.