In a visit to the Iranian Petroleum Ministry and the National Iranian
Oil Company’s monitoring center, Dr. Mohammad Reza Aref emphasized that the
ministry "once again demonstrated its vitality and efficiency in difficult
and critical conditions," adding that the government had “no concern”
about the sector’s functioning during the conflict.
Despite gasoline consumption reaching 200 million liters per day
during the early days of the attacks, Aref said there was no public
dissatisfaction, and fuel distribution remained calm and orderly.
The Vice President underlined the strategic importance of the Petroleum
Ministry to Iran’s development agenda, stating that the 14th administration
places “special trust in the ministry’s elite workforce” to help secure
financial resources for national growth. “We must be in control of how much oil
we produce and export — not dictated to by others,” he said.
Highlighting the broader public cooperation during the conflict, Aref
praised the energy sector’s crisis response and credited Iran’s wartime
experiences in the 1980s for shaping its readiness today. He called for more
robust measures in cybersecurity, noting the establishment of a new government
task force to enhance digital and cyber defense.
Aref also congratulated the Iranian people on what he described as a
national victory, stating that their unity during the 12-day conflict was
“unprecedented” and marked by “a rare level of cohesion not seen since the
1980s.”
“Despite external attempts to provoke unrest, the nation stood firm —
and this time, the enemy’s calculations failed,” he added, warning that “those
who underestimate the Iranian people’s history and culture do so at their
peril.”
Petroleum Minister Mohsen Paknejad, who accompanied the Vice
President, detailed the ministry’s multi-pronged crisis management approach. He
said five key strategies were activated: continuity of production across all
value chains, mitigation of potential damage, planning for continued exports of
crude and refined products, ensuring stable fuel distribution, and managing the
national gas network. A special task force was also formed to rehabilitate
damaged infrastructure.
“With public cooperation, fuel management over the past two weeks was
a success,” Paknejad said.