Tehran (IP) - Iran's oil minister said the way to achieve lasting peace is to put an end to bullying and to avoid politicization of energy markets.

Iran Press/Iran News: On the sidelines of the 22nd annual meeting of ministers of Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) held on Thursday through a webinar, Bijan Zanganeh pointed to the destructive role of the US in the international community, saying that trade war with China, withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and imposition of unilateral and illegal sanctions on Iran, especially in the energy sector, are part of the destructive actions of the United States in the last four years.

Zanganeh also noted that the US move to limit Iran's access to its revenues would prevent the country from using its resources to improve people's living conditions, especially in health and medical areas.

Stressing that the US withdrawal from the JCPOA and the country's unilateral and illegal sanctions on Iran are nothing but bullying against Tehran and the world, he added that despite all of the sanctions, Iran has managed to develop its gas industry, and has reached the record of extraction of thousands of millions cubic meters of gas per day.

Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) was established in December 2008 with the aim of coordinating the production, export, and control of natural gas prices worldwide.

Iran, Russia, Equatorial Guinea, Qatar, the UAE, Venezuela, Nigeria, Egypt, Algeria, Bolivia, Trinidad and Tobago are members of the GECF.

The member states of GECF possess 46% of gas production, 72% of gas reserves, 55% of pipeline gas transmission, and 85% of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) trade of the world.

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