Iran produced 267 billion cubic meters of natural gas in 2019, making the country the world’s third-largest producer after the US and Russia despite the most draconian sanctions imposed on the country.
The US sanctions have affected Iran’s energy exports, financial transactions, and imports of certain technologies, but natural gas production in Iran has grown steadily over the past two decades despite, the US Energy Information Administration wrote on its website.
While the EIA estimated Iran's total dry gas production in 2019 at 8.4 trillion cubic feet (237.8 billion cubic meters) which still made the country the third biggest producer, official figures have put it at 267 billion cubic meters.
Iran’s domestic natural gas demand, which the sanctions do not affect, has been the main driver of Iran’s natural gas production growth. According to officials, total gas production will hit 500 billion cubic meters in 2041.
Much of the growth in natural gas production comes from development of the offshore South Pars field in the Persian Gulf.
In February, former Petroleum Minister Bijan Zanganeh said Iran’s gas production had hit the record high above 1 billion cubic meters a day, a milestone reached three years after the US imposed its most draconian sanctions ever on the Islamic Republic.