Iranian oil-output is surging, for now
The scale of Iran's oil-output growth this year has been startling. Without IOCs, longer-term plans will prove more difficult
All things considered, a 0.75m-barrels-a-day rise in crude output since December 2015 represents startling progress for post-sanctions Iran-and a principal reason why the recovery in global oil prices hasn't yet taken hold. It's a feather in the cap for Tehran, too. Iran's most recent production level-3.63m b/d during July, according to Opec-has defied sceptics, including those among the country's rivals. Few of them expected a 25% leap, saying Iran's oilfields hadn't been maintained properly through sanctions. Not so. At the state company, senior Nioc officials say actual production is much higher, at around 3.8m b/d, and that Iran has now reclaimed about 80% of the market share it held bef
Also in this section
6 March 2026
The March 2026 issue of Petroleum Economist is out now!
6 March 2026
After Europe’s rapid buildout of floating LNG import capacity, Exmar CEO Carl-Antoine Saverys says future growth in floating gas infrastructure will increasingly be driven by developing markets as lower prices, rising energy demand and the need to replace coal unlock new opportunities for unconventional and tailor-made solutions
5 March 2026
Gas is a central pillar of Colombia’s energy system, but declining production poses a significant challenge, and LNG will be increasingly needed as a stopgap. A recent major offshore gas discovery offers hope, but policy improvements are also required, Camilo Morales, secretary general of Naturgas, the Colombian gas association, tells Petroleum Economist
4 March 2026
The continent’s inventories were already depleted before conflict erupted in the Middle East, causing prices to spike ahead of the crucial summer refilling season
