SAEDNEWS:Paknejad says the West Asia region has long been the leading supplier of the world’s energy, but is now facing immediate threats and naked belligerence from Israel and the United States.
According to Saednews, Petroleum Minister Mohsen Paknejad has emphasized the need for international cooperation to ensure a secure and sustainable energy supply, warning that military aggression against energy-producing nations not only violates international law but also threatens global stability.
Addressing the opening ceremony of the 9th OPEC International Seminar in Vienna via video link on Wednesday, Paknejad said that the energy industry, especially the oil sector, requires stability to drive national, regional, and global prosperity.
He apologized for being unable to attend the event in person but expressed hope that the seminar, held under the theme “Charting Pathways Together: The Future of Global Energy,” would address both short- and long-term challenges facing the industry.
Referring to the recent military aggression against Iran, he said, “West Asia has long been considered a cradle of the world’s energy,” but is now facing “immediate threats and naked belligerence from the Zionist regime and the United States.”
Paknejad condemned the 12-day Israeli military assault on Iran, one of the world’s leading energy suppliers, calling the aggression a “blatant violation of international law and the U.N. Charter,” particularly at a time when diplomatic negotiations on Iran’s peaceful nuclear program were underway.
He stressed that a secure and stable energy supply—an objective OPEC and OPEC+ have pursued for nearly 65 years—depends on peaceful and cooperative international relations. “Any instability, regardless of its cause—whether aggression or war—that disrupts the smooth flow of oil and gas to international markets increases uncertainty for energy producers and consumers,” he warned.
Paknejad reaffirmed Iran’s commitment as a founding member of OPEC, saying the country remains dedicated to the organization’s shared ideals of unity, stability, and respect for sovereign rights, as outlined in the OPEC Statute and the Declaration of Cooperation.
The 9th OPEC International Seminar is being held at the historic Hofburg Palace in Vienna, Austria.
