Iranian Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad said Sunday the country has discovered more than 7.5 trillion cubic feet (21.24 billion cubic meters) of gas reserves in a field in the southern Fars province.
Nearly 5.7 trillion cubic feet of gas can be extracted from the field, considering a recovery factor of about 72 to 73 percent, Paknejad said in an interview with state-run IRIB TV.
"The newly-discovered resources add tens of billions of dollars to the intrinsic value of the country's wealth," he said, adding the field also contains a significant amount of gas condensate reserves.
Iran holds nearly 34 trillion cubic meters of proven gas reserves, according to data by the Gas Exporting Countries Forum. After Russia, the country has the second-largest gas reserves in the world.
Iran discovers 7.5 tln cubic feet of gas in south: minister
A series of violent attacks, including arson and explosions, were reported in the southern border provinces in Thailand on Saturday evening.
According to Thai media reports, successive violent incidents occurred in the Narathiwat, Yala and Pattani Provinces starting from 20:00 local time on Saturday.
The incidents included setting fire to administrative offices, burning car tires, and blowing up power poles and convenience stores. At least 11 incidents occurred in Narathiwat Province, with one car explosion causing two injuries.
The Narathiwat Task Force announced in a Facebook post that the entire province would be under curfew from 22:15 Saturday until 06:00 Sunday, noting that residents must obtain permission from local military, police or administrative authorities before leaving in case of urgent matters.
Thailand's Fourth Army Regional Command on Saturday night advised the public to stay vigilant following the occurrence of the violent incidents.
Multiple violent attacks reported in southern Thailand
