Iran’s Petropars opens an infill gas well in Phase 1 of the South Pars gas field in the Persian Gulf.

Iran is planning to increase its natural gas production by a fourth in the next five years.

Iran’s oil ministry says a first infill well in the South Pars gas field will come on line within a month.

With investment and production from unconventional shale reserves which the country has already discovered, Iran’s gas supply capacity could rise more than twofold in the coming decade.

OPEC data show Iran’s natural gas production rose by 2% in 2022 to over 262 bcm.

Iran produced 267 billion cubic meters of natural gas in 2019, making the country the world’s third-largest dry natural gas producer after the US and Russia despite the most draconian sanctions imposed on the country.