TEHRAN, April 23 (UPI) -- The price for oil and gas on the world market is unfair, the Iranian oil minister said during a speech at an international energy expo in Tehran.
Iranian Oil Minister Massoud Mir Kazemi told delegates at the 15th International Oil Exhibition that global energy prices "are not fair," the Iranian Oil Ministry's Petroenergy Information Network reports.
Iran has pressed for higher energy prices, particularly oil, as the country struggles to find revenue amid growing international economic pressure.
Western scrutiny over Iran's controversial nuclear program led in part to a decision by several international energy companies to stop doing business in the country.
Kazemi insisted, however, that economic pressure has prompted a push in Iran to become more self-sufficient, adding domestic companies have the ability to carry out engineering, exploration and drilling activity in the country.
He stressed that Iran sits on some of the largest oil and gas deposits in the world, meaning Western nations were actually sanctioning themselves by pressuring Iran.
Delegates from 30 countries, including several Western allies, are attending the exhibition in Tehran.
The event kicked off Thursday and runs through the weekend.
