Iran says gas production up 30 percent year-on-year

Iran said Tuesday natural gas production is on the rise and on pace to reach 35 billion cubic feet in the next three years with help from the South Pars field.

Iranian Deputy Petroleum Minister Rokneddin Javadi said Iran has stopped importing some types of fuel because production has increased.

"During the first four months of the current [calendar] year [which started on March 21], our country's gas production has increased 30 percent from the year before," he said in a statement Tuesday.

Iran has held out its vast gas resources as an option for a European community looking to break the Russian grip on the energy sector. Sanctions imposed by Western powers limit some of Iran's energy ambitions.

Iran was eager to take part in the now-shelved Nabucco natural gas pipeline planned for Europe by sourcing gas from the South Pars field, which accounts for about 35 percent of the total volume of gas produced from Iran.

The Iranian government said it could double the amount of gas it exports to its neighbor Turkey with the right contracts in place.