Iran seeking self-sufficiency in strategic oil industry goods

TEHRAN,July 28(MNA) - Iran planned to become self-sufficient in producing 19 highly used goods which are strategic in the oil industry, the deputy oil minister for technology said. Mohammad-Reza Moqaddam added that according to Oil Minister Rostam Qasemi’s order, technologies for manufacturing the 19 oil goods should be indigenized by the end of the fifth five-year development plan (2015). The strategic goods include onshore and offshore drilling rigs, pumps, turbines and precision tools, he noted. He added that domestic production of 52 petrochemical catalysts will be started in the near future. Global sanctions against Iran not only have not any hindering effect on the country’s oil industry, but also have turned the Islamic republic into an exporter of equipment and goods, Oil Minister Rostam Qasemi said in May. “Despite all threats of the enemies, there is no concern regarding development of the oil industry relying on expertise and knowledge of Iranian scientists,” he said. Qasemi said that the country is approaching “total self-sufficiency” in the production of equipment required in the country's oil industry. “Much of the equipment needed for oil industry is being produced by domestic manufacturers,” he added, Press TV reported. The global economic sanctions against the Islamic Republic will not be effective to hinder the country’s oil industry progress, Qasemi stressed.