FILE PHOTO – A gas flare on an oil production platform in the Soroush oil fields is seen alongside an Iranian flag in the Persian Gulf, Iran, July 25, 2005. Iran will see a steep rise in its natural gas output and exports after last year’s easing of Western sanctions, its deputy oil minister said on Tuesday, adding that recent deals with global firms show they believe sanctions will not come back. Amir Hossein Zamaninia, Iran’s deputy oil minister for trade and international affairs, said Iran’s gas production would rise to 1 billion cubic metres a day by the end of the year from the current 800 million cubic metres (mcm) per day. He said volumes available for export should reach 365 mcm a day by 2021, which is higher than the exports of the world’s top liquefied natural gas producer Qatar. France’s Total signed a deal earlier this […]