TEHRAN, Jan. 11 (Shana) � Iranian Minister of Petroleum Bijan Zangeneh said on Monday that with the lifting of sanctions, the cost of carrying out industrial projects in the country which had spiraled will be reduced by 50 percent.

�There is a short distance to the removal of sanctions and we will soon witness this major national achievement,� he said speaking at the launching ceremony of the phases 15 and 16 of the South Pars Gas Field in southern Bushehr province.

�We expect that after the sanctions are removed, better access to equipment, preparation of technology transfer and upgrading, and lowering of prices will be secured,� he told participants of the event with President Hassan Rouhani as the chief guest.

President Rouhani who officially launched the development projects was quoted saying by Zangeneh that no project should be launched before assurances that its development has been completed.

�We are not interested in cosmetic openings. Rather, the Ministry of Petroleum mainly wants to finish its projects.�

He also expressed the hope that with the provision of required finances, all development phases of the South Pars gas field except Phase 14 will be completed in two years before the current government leaves the office.

�Then Iran�s daily production of 700 million cubic meters of gas will equal that of Qatar,� the minister said about the shared on-shore and off-shore gas field in which Iran is lagging in its utilization.

By SHANA