ATU Convenes National Leaders to Tackle Energy Sector Financing Challenges

Allameh Tabataba’i University (ATU) hosted the "International Conference on Investment and Financing in the Oil, Gas, and Petrochemical Industry" on Monday, 27 October 2025 bringing together high-ranking government officials, industry leaders, and academic experts to address critical economic challenges.

The conference, held at the Faculty of Law and Political Sciences, was inaugurated with a keynote address by Dr Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly. Dr Ghalibaf called for a fundamental economic shift from a state-centric model to a people-centric one, emphasizing the urgent need to attract private and public capital to develop the nation's vast energy resources. He stressed that leveraging domestic potential is key to overcoming sanctions and driving national growth.

In his opening remarks, ATU President Dr Shoja Ahmadvand highlighted the university's mission as a "problem-solving institution" dedicated to bridging the gap between academia and industry. He stated that the conference's objective was to produce practical, scientifically-grounded solutions to the legal, managerial, and financial obstacles hindering the energy sector's progress.

Elaborating on the university's civic mission, Dr Ahmadvand identified a critical paradox facing the nation: despite possessing the world's second-largest gas and fourth-largest oil reserves, Iran has not fully translated this potential into national wealth and public welfare. He attributed this gap to a "missing link" in the economic value chain. The conference, he explained, was designed to diagnose and resolve the key legal, managerial, and financial impediments that have historically hindered progress. Dr Ahmadvand then championed a strategy centred on mobilizing domestic capital and leveraging internal capabilities, asserting that scientifically-backed models developed through interdisciplinary collaboration at ATU could provide the necessary roadmap for policymakers to transform latent energy resources into tangible economic prosperity.

Organized by ATU’s Faculty of Law and Political Sciences, the event served as a critical platform for high-level dialogue between policymakers, the private sector, and academia. The discussions aimed to forge actionable strategies and innovative frameworks for the sustainable development of Iran’s vital energy industries.