OPEC Secretary General Haitham Al Ghais has praised Iran’s recent progress in its oil industry, despite facing severe sanctions from the United States.
In a letter to former Iranian Oil Minister Javad Owji, Al Ghais commended Owji’s leadership and highlighted the significant achievements made in Iran’s petroleum sector. The letter, published in the Iranian media, emphasized Owji’s key role in advancing the country’s oil industry over the past three years.
Al Ghais’s acknowledgment came shortly after Owji was replaced by Mohsen Paknejad in a government reshuffle in Iran.
Under Owji’s leadership, Iran managed to boost its oil production and exports, reaching levels not seen since U.S. sanctions were tightened in 2019. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) reported that Iran’s oil production had climbed to 3.271 million barrels per day (bpd). In recent months, exports surpassed an average of 1.5 million bpd, a sharp increase from the 0.3 million bpd reported in 2019 when the sanctions intensified.
Iran’s new Oil Minister, Mohsen Paknejad, has vowed to continue building on Owji’s work, with a goal to raise the country’s crude oil output to 4 million bpd by next year.