TEHRAN- Iran's Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad, on Thursday, attending the 11th BRICS Energy Ministers Meeting in Gurugram, India, emphasized the necessity of convergence among BRICS members and announced the readiness of the Islamic Republic of Iran for active and constructive participation with BRICS members to achieve the goals of secure and affordable energy, Shana reported.

The full text of the Oil Minister's speech at this meeting is as follows:

Once again, I seize this opportunity and extend my gratitude to the government and people of India for hosting this important meeting and their warm hospitality.

I come from a proud Iran, which over the past months has powerfully defended itself against the attacks of the Zionist regime and the United States, and in doing so, has endured significant material and spiritual damages, particularly the martyrdom of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, scientific and military figures, and a number of innocent people, including 168 students from the Shajareh Tayyebeh school in Minab.

Furthermore, the repeated attacks by aggressors on Iran's oil, gas, refining, and petrochemical infrastructure during this period were not merely an attack on a country's basic facilities, but a blind war against the world's energy security. These attacks also caused damage to facilities, the martyrdom and injury of a number of oil industry employees, extensive environmental consequences, disruption in the production of raw materials and the supply chain of essential goods needed for the lives of the Iranian people, and the loss of income and employment for thousands of families in the Persian Gulf region. We now see that the consequences of such aggressions have led to an energy crisis, a rise in global prices of raw materials and manufactured products, economic pressure, and increased living costs for many civilians. These aggressive actions constitute a flagrant violation of international law, particularly the United Nations Charter, and must be condemned at every level.

The Islamic Republic of Iran, as it has repeatedly declared, believes that the only way to achieve stability and security in West Asia, which supplies a major portion of the world's energy, is the withdrawal of foreigners from the region, the dismantling of American bases, and entrusting the security of this strategic region to the regional countries themselves.

Today, the global energy system faces more challenges and growing uncertainties than ever before, and ensuring sustainable energy has become a primary concern for statesmen and politicians in most countries. Rising energy demand, geopolitical risks, unpredictable market fluctuations, global warming, investment constraints, and the urgent need to ensure universal access to affordable energy are among the global challenges that cannot be addressed by just one or two countries alone, but require international cooperation and the adoption of pragmatic and realistic policy approaches at a global level.

In recent years, we have seen the "energy transition approach" through the rapid elimination of fossil fuels from the energy system being raised in international climate change negotiations as a definitive way to combat global warming. However, while emphasizing the need for collective action to mitigate climate change, this warning must also be taken seriously: that adopting unilateral and eliminatory policies in the energy system jeopardizes "global energy security" and deepens energy poverty in many disadvantaged communities and regions of the world. This is while, to prevent such risks, all energy sources and technologies should play a role in meeting growing energy demand.

Realistic scenarios of global energy outlooks, including the "OPEC World Oil Outlook 2026" report published last week, predict that oil and gas will still constitute over 53% of the world's energy needs by 2050, and no peak in global oil demand is observed on the horizon of 2050. Furthermore, despite the development of renewables in recent years, the share of fossil fuels in global electricity generation remains significant, currently around 57%, and this share will be around 34% by 2050. Oil remains the backbone of the world's transport and industrial sectors, while natural gas, with its cleaner fuel, flexible application, and growing infrastructure, plays a pivotal role in the energy transition.

Given these realities, the Islamic Republic of Iran believes that within the framework of a fair, orderly, and inclusive energy transition, to achieve sustainable conditions in energy supply and combat global warming, global investment in the oil and gas industry and decarbonization technologies must be rapidly increased.

In this regard, the BRICS platform undoubtedly possesses exceptional capacity for cooperation in the energy sector. Our countries together form a significant share of the world's energy production, consumption, reserves, and innovation capacity. We can utilize this collective power in advancing the development of various energy fields, including oil and gas, renewables, power grids, hydrogen, energy efficiency, artificial intelligence, and the digitalization of the energy sector.

The Islamic Republic of Iran, as one of the world's largest producers of oil and gas, and despite years of sanctions-related difficulties, has been able to achieve its goals in developing energy sector infrastructure. In 2025, Iran's total annual natural gas production reached over 280 billion cubic meters, equivalent to about 7% of the world's total natural gas production. Also, Iran's oil production capacity reached 4 million 200 thousand barrels per day, and petroleum product production reached a capacity of 2 million 400 thousand barrels per day. In the field of energy transmission and transportation, Iran, benefiting from thousands of kilometers of pipelines of various dimensions and capacities, has a high capacity for transporting crude oil, petroleum products, and natural gas. Meanwhile, Iran's electricity generation capacity has exceeded 100,000 megawatts, and the process of increasing electricity generation from fossil and non-fossil energy sources is being pursued in the country's development plan.

The Islamic Republic of Iran is ready to play an active role in energy cooperation among BRICS member countries. We share vast energy resources, world-class technical expertise, our strategic position, and most importantly, the willingness for constructive cooperation to shape a fair and secure global energy order within the BRICS framework.

While today the dynamics of the global energy market are facing serious risk and threat due to the increasing imposition of trade measures and sanctions under false pretexts against countries possessing large oil and gas reserves, BRICS members have a shared responsibility to maintain stability, prevent disruption in energy markets, and ensure the uninterrupted flow of energy resources. In a way that both aspects of energy security—supply security for consumers and demand security for producers—are realized. As a practical step, this matter can be pursued under the title "BRICS Energy Security Partnership" within the framework of the BRICS Energy Cooperation Roadmap 2025-2030, with the aim of increasing resilience, stability, and security across the energy value chain in member countries. Thus, it can be expected that facilitating the regular exchange of information on energy market developments, cooperation in protecting critical energy infrastructure, enhancing emergency response capabilities, encouraging investment in strategic energy projects, and supporting the continuous flow of energy supply among BRICS members will be operationalized within this framework.

Let me conclude my speech by emphasizing that achieving secure, affordable, reliable, sustainable, and inclusive energy depends on the collective effort and cooperation of all of us. The Islamic Republic of Iran is ready to actively and constructively cooperate with all BRICS members in achieving this strategic goal.

In conclusion, I wish to once again express my gratitude to the government and people of India, especially His Excellency Minister Lal Khatar, for their warm hospitality, excellent organization, and valuable efforts in hosting this meeting.

BRICS Digital Center, a step towards developing energy cooperation 

The Oil Minister, at the inauguration ceremony of the BRICS Center of Excellence for Digital Smart Grids and Energy Storage, held prior to the 11th BRICS Energy Ministers Meeting in Gurugram, India, stated that the BRICS Digital Center is a step towards developing energy cooperation.

The Oil Minister said: The launch of the "BRICS Digital Center of Excellence for Smart Grids and Energy Storage" is an important step and a milestone in the path of developing energy cooperation among BRICS member countries.

According to Shana, Mohsen Paknejad, on Thursday, June 26, at the official inauguration ceremony of the BRICS Center of Excellence for Digital Smart Grids and Energy Storage, held before the 11th BRICS Energy Ministers Meeting in Gurugram, India, emphasized the position of this center in realizing the strategic goals of BRICS members.

The full text of the Oil Minister's speech at this ceremony is as follows:

It is a great pleasure to be present in Gurugram to participate in the 11th BRICS Energy Ministers Meeting. At the outset, I wish to express my sincerest gratitude to the government and people of India for their warm hospitality and the worthy and orderly organization of this important meeting.

The launch of the "BRICS Digital Center of Excellence for Smart Grids and Energy Storage" on the sidelines of the 11th Energy Ministers Meeting is an important step and a milestone in the path of developing energy cooperation among BRICS member countries.

From a policy perspective, this initiative can effectively contribute to the realization of a set of strategic goals, including enhancing energy security, promoting technology transfer and capacity development, supporting the energy transition while maintaining access to affordable and reliable energy, strengthening South-South cooperation, and creating new opportunities for energy producers and exporters.

Considering the differences in the levels of technological development and access among BRICS members, this center can play a significant role in reducing technological gaps and accelerating the deployment of new energy infrastructure in member countries.

Therefore, the Islamic Republic of Iran welcomes the establishment of the BRICS Digital Center as a practical ground for strengthening technical cooperation, promoting innovation, enhancing capacities, and facilitating the exchange of knowledge and experiences among member countries.

This initiative reflects the common will and determination of BRICS member countries to expand practical cooperation in the energy sector and advance innovative solutions in facing the evolving challenges of the global energy system.

On behalf of the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran, I wish to thank the government of India and the participating member countries for their valuable efforts and constructive commitment in realizing this important initiative.

The BRICS grouping has emerged as one of the most influential platforms for cooperation among major emerging economies, reflecting the growing role of the Global South in shaping international economic and energy governance. Originally comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, the bloc has expanded its membership in recent years, broadening its geographic reach and economic influence. Together, BRICS countries account for a significant share of global population, economic output, energy production, and energy consumption, making the group an increasingly important forum for addressing global energy challenges.

Energy cooperation has become one of the key priorities of the BRICS agenda. Member states are working to strengthen energy security, improve the resilience of energy supply chains, promote investment in energy infrastructure, facilitate technology transfer, and expand collaboration in renewable energy, smart grids, hydrogen, energy efficiency, and digital technologies. The group also seeks to encourage stable and transparent energy markets while supporting sustainable economic development. Through regular ministerial meetings, technical working groups, and joint initiatives, BRICS aims to enhance practical cooperation among its members and contribute to a more balanced, secure, and inclusive global energy system that supports both producers and consumers.

MA