Speaking at the closing ceremony of the Petrofan 2025 conference,
Hossein Afshin said industries that fail to embrace innovation would not
endure, as global competition increasingly hinges on data, advanced
technologies and speed of decision-making.
“The future is intelligent, and the winner is the one who understands
sooner, decides sooner and builds sooner,” Afshin said, describing Iran’s
petrochemical industry as entering a major paradigm shift.
He said future industrial power would be shaped not by physical
capacity alone, such as storage tanks or distillation towers, but by data depth
and the courage to innovate. Afshin noted that Iran has moved beyond a phase
where science is valued primarily for academic output, toward one where
knowledge must generate economic value.
Afshin said the goals of Iran’s knowledge-based production drive were
now materialising in the form of smart factories, optimised processes,
predictable risks and innovative value chains.
He called on Khalij Fars Holding, Iran’s largest petrochemical group,
to move beyond being solely a producer and become a driver of technological
development, value-chain completion and reduced reliance on raw exports. In
major global industries, he said, development units function as “the brain of
industry” rather than peripheral departments.
Afshin said the vice presidency was working alongside industry as a
strategic partner through public-private partnerships, joint investment in
strategic technologies, national innovation infrastructure and support for
commercialisation.
He also pointed to the creation of one of Iran’s largest industrial
venture capital funds by Khalij Fars Holding, saying the fund had started with
limited capital and was now moving toward a size of 5 trillion rials.
Afshin said the global petrochemical industry was entering a new era
in which artificial intelligence, circular economy models and green
technologies were essential, warning that industries that fail to adapt would
lose future market share or face regulatory and environmental barriers.
“Petrofan is not just an event,” he said. “It signals the decision of
Iran’s petrochemical industry to see the future sooner.”