Iran defies US sanctions by increasing its exports of liquefied petroleum gas (Reuters)

Tehran -

Amid widespread controversy over the possibility of selling Iranian energy products in light of the dominance of US sanctions on the Iranian economy, the government confirms its success in circumventing these sanctions.

Exports under sanctions

Bloomberg says that Iran is defying US sanctions by increasing its exports of liquefied petroleum gas (produced incidentally during the process of refining crude oil in refineries), describing the matter as the latest sign of the failure of US pressure to affect Iranian energy sales.

The agency notes that Iran last year became the largest supplier of fuel in the Middle East, which is used for heating, cooking and as a raw material for chemical factories.

Iran became the largest fuel supplier in the Middle East last year (Getty Images)

Iranian fuel exports rose by 28%, to more than 11 million tons, according to an analysis of ship tracking data and market intelligence provided by the consulting firm Facts Global Energy.

The company expects Iranian exports to continue to rise to exceed 12 million tons this year.

After supporting the eligibility of former US President Donald Trump to participate in the upcoming US elections, Iranian Oil Minister Javad Oji confirmed that if Trump returns, Iran’s oil exports will not be affected, and he attributed this to the fact that his country today faces more severe sanctions than those imposed in 2017, but oil exports It reached the highest level since that year.

The Iranian Oil Minister continued by saying that international organizations recognize that Iran does not have any obstacles in selling oil, at prices closer to international prices.

Selling unidentified Iranian products

The head of the Petroleum Products Union, Hamid Hosseini, says that Iran has the largest refining capacity in the Middle East, as it refines two million and 250 thousand barrels of oil per day, but due to high consumption at home, 7 thousand barrels per day are converted into gasoline and another 7 thousand into gasoline and the amount The remainder is converted into diesel or special products.

In his interview with Al Jazeera Net, Hosseini attributes the reason for the high consumption to the fact that cars in Iran are old, and the transportation and public transportation system is not at the required level.

He explains that the petroleum products that Iran exports today are primarily “mazut” and oil secondarily.

Hosseini points out that Iran exported 75 million cubic meters of gas per day during the current year, but based on the new budget, Tehran decided to reduce exports to 11 million cubic meters.

Iran exported 75 million cubic meters of gas this year (Reuters)

The head of the Petroleum Products Union added that Iran cannot export the gas condensates it produces, but he explained that US sanctions cannot greatly affect Iranian energy sales and exports because “we have access to the markets of neighboring countries and these markets are not greatly affected by the sanctions and the banking system.”

He said that domestic consumption has declined significantly since (Covid-19), which enabled Iran to export gasoline at a greater rate, reaching $3 billion annually.

Hosseini stressed that the sanctions did not greatly affect the export of petrochemical products, because once their packaging was changed, it was no longer possible to know their source. “We do this and sell them (petrochemical products) in the markets, and distinguishing and determining the source of gasoline is not an easy matter,” he said.

But Hosseini said that the sanctions affect the export of crude oil and gas significantly and directly.

6 million and a half tons of liquefied gas

According to the official website of the Iranian presidency:

  • Iranian Oil Minister Javad Oji announced an increase in oil production by 400,000 barrels as a result of new contracts with local contractors to develop oil fields worth $13 billion.

  • The minister stated that some of these fields will be ready to operate as of the middle of the Iranian new year, which began on March 20.

  • Oji said that his country's liquefied gas production rose from 3.2 million tons in 2020 to 6.5 million tons in 2023.

  • The Iranian Oil Minister spoke about increasing the daily refining capacity of crude oil and gas condensates from 2.1 million barrels in 2021 to 2 million and 370 thousand barrels in 2023.

  • The Minister spoke about increasing the production of petrochemical products from 65 million tons to 75 million tons between 2021 and 2023.

Source: Al Jazeera