Iran has nearly doubled gas production at South Pars, the world’s largest gas field, in the past year, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on 18 March, according to state media.

Gas production at South Pars increased from 285 million cubic metres to 555 million cubic metres in the past Iranian calendar year, which started in late March 2017, Rouhani was quoted as saying by state media.

“We did not have the need to purchase gas from any country this year,” Rouhani said.

Iran shares the giant natural gas field in the Gulf’s waters with Qatar, which owns the larger portion of the reserve and calls it ‘North Dome’.

French oil and gas major Total signed a deal with Tehran last July to develop phase 11 of Iran’s South Pars field with an initial investment of $1bn. It was the first major Western investment in the Islamic Republic’s energy sector since sanctions related to Iran’s nuclear-power programme were lifted.

Total will be the operator with a 50.1 per cent stake, alongside the state-owned China National Petroleum Company with 30 per cent and the National Iranian Oil Company’s subsidiary Petropars with 19.9 per cent.