Tasnim � Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh said it is his ministry�s priority to complete the remaining phases of the South Pars gas field in southern Iran.

Speaking to reporters upon his arrival in the southern city of Assaluyeh on Thursday, Zanganeh said during his trip he would visit the development projects of the gas field and hold meetings with local officials of the energy zone.

He also called for efforts to speed up the operational process of the phases 13, 22, 23, and 24 of the South Pars and said the completion of the phases is high on the agenda of the Oil Ministry.

Zanganeh had previously said Iran is on pace to boost gas production to 1 billion cubic meters a day by March, roughly the same time that all South Pars phases are planned to be up and running.

The gas field, whose development has been divided into 28 phases, is located in the Persian Gulf straddling the maritime border between Iran and Qatar.

It covers an area of 9,700 square kilometers, of which 3,700 square kilometers belongs to Iran.

It is estimated that the Iranian section of the field contains 14 trillion cubic meters of gas and 18 billion barrels of condensates in place.