Reuters - Iran has discovered a new natural gas field with a 19-trillion-cubic-feet reserve in the southern province of Fars, the Oil Ministry�s website SHANA reported on Sunday.

�The new natural gas field is in the southern part of Fars province with 19 tcf gas in place,� SHANA quoted Reza Dehghan, deputy director of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), as saying.

Iran�s natural gas reserve is the world�s second largest but it has not yet become a major exporter because of international sanctions imposed on the country for decades.

Writing by Parisa Hafezi; Editing by Mark Heinrich