TEHRAN – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Thursday that Jask Island is going to become one of the country’s most import oil terminals in near future, Shana reported, citing the presidency’s official website.

Rouhani made the remarks in the inauguration ceremony of 81 major energy projects in the southern Hormozgan Province, where Jask Port lies.

“Jask will soon become a very important port for our oil exports, and the position of this province [Hormozgan] will become higher and more important day by day,” Rouhani said.

He also mentioned the country’s achievements in water and electricity sectors and said: “Despite all the sanctions pressures and limitations, about 90 percent of the design and implementation of important projects in the electricity industry is currently done by capable Iranian experts, and we must move towards complete self-sufficiency in this industry.”

Iran is currently constructing a new crude oil export terminal at Jask, 1,690 kilometers (1,050 mi) south of Tehran on the Gulf of Oman.

Back in March 2019, Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh had said that the construction of the terminal is going to be completed by 2021.

“Iran's plans to make the Jask terminal operational in two years are on track,” Zanganeh said.

"We hope that this terminal [Jask] will become operational by end of the year 1399 (March 2021) and for the first time Iran's oil will be exported through Makran [Gulf of Oman]," he said.

Jask terminal, which is considered the country’s second-largest oil export terminal after Kharg terminal, is expected to give Iran an alternative outlet for its oil exports.

EF/MA