Oil Minister Reiterates No “Hike” in Fuel Oil Price
IRAN NEWS ECONOMIC DESK
TEHRAN – Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh yesterday reiterated that the ministry refutes reports that it is to increase the price of fuel oil.
Speaking on the sidelines of a ceremony for signing 13 oil agreements in Tehran, Zanganeh said that he does not know who is behind this allegation that the government is to increase the price of fuel oil, rejecting all allegations on price hike of the fuel oil.
On the shortage of liquefied gas in Sistan and Baluchistan Province, he said that unfortunately citizens of the province are facing shortage of the liquefied gas, adding that he has ordered for shipping more liquefied gas to the province to meet the demands of the residents, and this problem will be resolved soon.
On the value of the agreements signed in the ceremony, Zanganeh said that these agreements are valued at over 1500b tomans. He said that these 13 agreements can boost exploitation from the oil and gas fields.
He said some nine more agreements had been earlier signed, adding that now 50 percent of national oil reserves are under coverage of these researches and hundreds of students and experts are working on them and will present hundreds of papers and articles.
Zanganeh praised the role and value of universities, saying that their value is not less than oil production in those oil fields.
He went on to say that university and industry should work together and they are correlative, adding that all should be patient because universities are the transplanted heart of oil industry and this transplantation has happened now.
He said this time universities stepped forward for signing the deal voluntarily and they welcomed the ministry’s proposals.
He also blasted the monopoly, adding that monopolization is not a good thing and competition is valuable.
Zanganeh also said that some good and important agreements have been signed in the downstream of oil industry which need support in order that the country can possess license and knowhow.
He also pointed to the beginning of the Sacred Defense Week, saying that jihad should continue in all layers of the life and today the country is alive because of efforts of unknown jihadis who continued their endeavors after the eight-year war in different fields.
