Omid Shakeri, speaking Wednesday at a ceremony marking Passive Defense Week in the oil industry, emphasized that the country’s recent wartime experience revealed the need for a strategic shift. “As Gen. Jalali said, this war changed the calculations. From now on, the fundamental threat is military, and our approaches and designs in the oil sector must be revised accordingly,” he said.

He stressed that civil defense principles must be embedded in all oil projects and that resilience should be the top priority across all companies under the Oil Ministry.

 Strengthening Energy Supply Resilience

Shakeri said the main mission of civil defense and crisis management in the oil sector is to strengthen resilience across the energy supply and distribution chain. Protecting facilities and residents living near oil infrastructure is also a critical duty, he added.

“Urban expansion has brought residential areas close to oil installations in many regions,” he said. “Despite the risks, oil industry personnel continued production under difficult conditions and helped reduce operational hazards for nearby communities.”

He attributed the successful crisis management to the integrity of the command structure. “The unity within the chain of command was one of the key factors behind the oil industry’s success. At the top of this structure, the oil minister served as the main civil defense commander, and his deputies and managers performed their duties effectively,” he said.

 Uninterrupted Production and Exports

Shakeri noted that senior civil defense commanders have been appointed for every strategic region to coordinate activities among companies operating there. “This model demonstrated that cooperation between public and private sectors during crises is both achievable and effective,” he said.

He reiterated that the oil industry’s performance during the 12-day war was flawless. “Despite attacks and threats, oil production did not decline. Gas transmission and distribution, gasoline production, imports and exports of petroleum products all continued without interruption. There were no secondary incidents such as gas fires. These outcomes show the decisive role of pre-crisis drills and operational guidelines,” he said.

Although the ceasefire has been declared, Shakeri said the Oil Ministry’s civil defense committee has continued its activities to maintain and improve readiness. “Outstanding performance should not make us complacent. We must further strengthen resilience, reduce vulnerabilities and reinforce facilities,” he added.

 Two Percent of Capital Funds Allocated to Civil Defense

Shakeri announced a new directive from Iran’s Passive Defense Organization requiring oil companies to allocate 2% of their capital resources to civil defense projects. “This legal obligation should be seen as an opportunity to modernize, strengthen and enhance the resilience of the oil industry,” he said.

He added that short-term (three-month), medium-term (six-month) and long-term programs have been developed to focus on reinforcement, vulnerability reduction and production continuity under threat conditions.

“The oil industry’s employees proved during the 12-day war that with responsibility and dedication, they can safeguard the nation’s energy security and economy,” Shakeri said. “By continuing this path and implementing our resilience programs, we can remain steadfast in the face of future threats.”