Iran has approved a new roadmap for regional energy diplomacy that aims to bring oil, gas, refining and petrochemical trade under a single, indicator-driven framework, Acting Oil Minister Hamid Bovard said. The document was approved by the Strategic Headquarters for Regional Energy Trade, chaired by First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref, and announced after being drafted under the Oil Ministry’s guidance in line with paragraph (T) of Article 44 of the Seventh Development Plan.
Bovard told SHANA that the plan sets out specific actions and indicators for oil and petroleum products, gas, refining and petrochemicals so that regional energy trade is pursued coherently and in step with market changes. For the first time, he said, the roadmap explicitly envisages private-sector participation in regional energy trade alongside government actors. Other indicators include attention to technical developments in regional and global energy markets, links between energy trade and domestic issues, technopolitics, and diplomatic and strategic marketing and market-making.
The acting minister said non-governmental capacity would be used alongside state bodies, while action plans would be revised as regional and global markets evolve. He also stressed that energy trade should be connected to domestic priorities and that diplomatic and marketing tools should be used more effectively.
Under the monitoring mechanism, the Oil Ministry’s Deputy for Planning will serve as the specialized secretariat of the strategic headquarters, while the Institute for International Energy Studies will act as the permanent center for working groups. Progress, feedback and problems will be reviewed every three and six months, allowing programs to be updated as energy markets change. Bovard said the approach marks the first time Iran will continuously coordinate energy trade actions across sectors and with both governmental and non-governmental players. The aim is a more flexible, market-responsive energy diplomacy.
