Tehran - BORNA - According to the Ministry of Petroleum, crude oil and condensates remain the driving force of Iran’s economy, accounting for 30 to 40 percent of government revenues. Beyond providing vital foreign currency earnings and funding for infrastructure, industrial development, and social programs, the sector also plays a strategic role in Iran’s international relations and energy diplomacy.

Despite intensified international sanctions, Iran’s oil industry managed not only to sustain but also to expand crude and condensate exports. Strategic planning and resource management helped prevent disruption in export flows, with several months registering historic highs. This performance underscores the resilience and adaptability of Iran’s oil industry under sanctions pressure.

Over the past year, the United States launched 14 separate sanctions packages, culminating in the 14th package on July 30, which alone included 147 new measures primarily targeting Iran’s transportation sector. Yet, in the first four months of the Iranian year 1404 (March–July 2025), Iran’s average crude and condensate exports exceeded the same period last year by 21,000 barrels per day.

International data confirms surge in Iranian exports

Although sanctions and protective measures obscure exact export data, multiple international energy monitors have confirmed Iran’s export surge.

Preliminary data from energy consultancy Kpler indicated that Iran’s exports to China in March 2025 reached 1.81 million barrels per day, marking a 22 percent increase over Iran’s 2024 average. Similarly, the International Energy Agency (IEA) reported that Iran’s average crude exports in the first half of 2025 stood at nearly 1.7 million barrels per day.

Meanwhile, international tanker-tracking firm Vortexa noted that Iran’s average crude exports during the first 20 days of June 2025 reached 1.8 million barrels per day—the highest level ever recorded. Significantly, this record coincided with the 12-day war imposed on Iran.

Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad, responding in February to former U.S. President Donald Trump’s renewed “maximum pressure” directive, stressed that Iranian oil experts and workers continue to adapt: “The more restrictions are imposed, the more complex and innovative our countermeasures will become.”

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