Tehran is prioritising gas, but a near-term increase in overseas sales is unlikely
Iran unlikely to prove a gas saviour
Any hopes that the Mideast Gulf state could increase production and exports to help ease the global shortfall are misplaced
Iranian oil minister Javad Owji announced in late June that the final phase of the two-decade-long development of the giant South Pars offshore gas field would enter production in three months’ time. Buoyed by rocketing prices received for its illicit oil exports, Tehran is doubling down on upstream investment and prioritising gas. But any hopes of fresh material Iranian supply hitting the global gas market will likely be disappointed. Profligate domestic consumption, coupled with technical and financial constraints on output and export growth, render a substantial near-term increase in overseas sales improbable. Iran is the world’s third-largest producer of gas—some 70pc of which comes from
Also in this section
16 December 2025
The December 2025/January 2026 issue of Petroleum Economist is out now!
16 December 2025
Abdullah Aljarboua serves as a senior fellow in the energy macro & microeconomics programme at KAPSARC. His work spans macroeconomics, energy-economic modelling, large-scale optimisation and advanced computational techniques for modelling complex energy policy dynamics. Here he speaks with Petroleum Economist about the Gulf region’s role in shaping the energy landscape over the coming decades
16 December 2025
The 25th WPC Energy Congress, taking place in Riyadh in April 2026 brings together global leaders, scientists, policymakers and innovators at a pivotal moment in the world’s energy evolution.
15 December 2025
As contradictory as it might seem, US oil output has continued to grow over the last several years, even as drilling in the shale plays has maintained a slow decline. This improbable dichotomy is a testimony to the industry’s technological prowess
