National Iranian Drilling Company (NIDC) drilled one exploration, 22 development and appraisal and 31 workover wells in the four-month period from mid-March to mid-July, said a top official.

"Of this figure, 40 wells were located in the operational territory of National Iranian South Oil Company, four pertained to Iranian Offshore Oil Company, nine were drilled within the framework of production projects undertaken by Petroleum Engineering and Development Company and one was drilled at the order of National Iranian Oil Company's Exploration Directorate,” Hamidreza Khoshayand, deputy head of NIDC for drilling operations, was quoted as saying in an Iran Daily report, which cited ISNA.

The company has performed more than 96,000 meters of drilling operations during the four-month period, he added.

Khoshayand noted that currently, NIDC owns 74 light, heavy and ultra-heavy onshore (71) and offshore (three) drilling rigs, adding more than 15 per cent of the company's rigs are currently operating in Iranian oilfields shared with neighbouring states.