President: Iran Discovers New Oil Field, Non-Oil Exports on Rise
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the country has discovered a new oil field with an estimated 53 billion barrels of crude, noting also that Iran’s non-oil exports have been growing despite the mounting pressure of the US sanctions.
In an address to a gathering of people in Iran’s central city of Yazd on Sunday, Rouhani said a huge oil field has been recently discovered in the southwestern province of Khuzestan.
He said stepped-up efforts by the National Iranian Oil Company since 2016 resulted in the discovery of the new field which is estimated to hold up to 53 billion barrels of oil.
The big oil reserve lies in an area of 2,400 square kilometers and extends to a depth of 80 meters in a region between the towns of Bostan and Omidiyeh in the province of Khuzestan, the president added.
Rouhani also noted that the major discovery has been made under American sanctions against Iran’s oil industry, stressing that the US has become disappointed with the policy of pressure on Iran.
“The US is well aware that the great Iranian nation is standing against and resisting to the pressure of enemies,” he stated,
The president further highlighted a rise in the Iranian non-oil exports in spite of the US sanctions, saying that concerted efforts to boost scientific and technological interaction with the world and supporting the knowledge-based companies would mark a major upheaval in Iran’s economy and defeat the enemies.
“(Creating) disagreement and discord (in Iran) is what the US is looking for,” he warned, calling for action against the voices that echo Washington’s demands.
The US began to ratchet up pressure on Iran in 2018 after withdrawing from the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
In comments in April, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei said the US’ attempts to block the export of Iranian oil will get nowhere as Tehran will be exporting any amount of crude it needs and wants.
Describing a cut in Iran’s reliance on the export of oil as an opportunity, the Leader said such an opportunity will be used for further reliance on internal capabilities.
“Although the sanctions pave the way for problems in certain cases, they will benefit the country if they are dealt with correctly and logically,” Ayatollah Khamenei said.