Iran seeks to regain majority of refining, distribution capacity in 2 months

Iran expects to restore 70-80% of its damaged refining and distribution capacity to pre-war levels within one to two months, the country's deputy oil minister said Sunday, as authorities work to recover from US-Israeli attacks on energy infrastructure.

"In almost all the facilities that were damaged, our forces were deployed the next day, the relevant contractors were called in, and reconstruction work has begun," Mohammad Sadegh Azimifar told the state-affiliated SNN news agency.

Azimifar said crews have been deployed to clear debris and replace damaged equipment, including at the Lavan Island refinery in southern Iran, adding that partial operations are expected to resume within the next 10 days.

More than 3,000 people have been killed in US-Israeli airstrikes on Iran since Feb. 28. Tehran launched retaliatory strikes Israel, Iraq, Jordan and Gulf countries hosting US military assets before a two-week ceasefire was announced earlier this week.

Iranian and US delegations concluded 21 hours of talks in Islamabad, Pakistan, early Sunday without reaching an agreement.

The two sides left the Pakistani capital with key differences unresolved, with both signaling that further diplomatic efforts would be needed.