Iran Oil Exports at 1.2 Million bpd

Exports Had Fallen to 700,000 bpd in 1H2013 - Government

Iran's Deputy Oil Minister Mansour Moazami said today in Tehran that the country’s oil exports have reached 1.2 million bpd, 20 percent higher than the government's budget.

“Our oil exports are now 20 percent higher than in the budget numbers, and we believe that in the current Iranian year (which started on 21 March) they will increase further,” Moazami added. (Mehr News Agency/AFP, 18 April)

Moazami also said that oil exports has “almost doubled” since Rouhani came to power last August.

“When the (Rouhani) government took office, exports were around 700,000 bpd," said Moazami (Mehr News Agency, 18 April)

This is the first time that the government confirms that the country’s oil exports in the first half of 2013 had fallen to as low as 700,000 bpd - Ahmadinejad administration always maintained that the export levels were above 1 million bpd during that period.

Iran’s oil exports peaked at 2.5 million bpd before sanctions went into effect; with China, India, South Korea and Japan being Iran's biggest oil customers.

File photo: Iran's crude oil export terminal at Kharg Island (Getty Images)