New Delhi, Aug. 23 -- Iran has discovered more than 7.5 trillion cubic feet (212.4 billion cubic metres) of natural gas in a field in the southern Fars province, Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad said on Sunday (August 23), according to state media.

The discovery comes as Iran works to repair energy infrastructure damaged during its war with Israel and the United States and faces the prospect of new US sanctions that could put additional pressure on its economy.

Paknejad said the newly discovered field contains more than 7.5 trillion cubic feet of gas. Based on the estimated recovery ratio, Iran could ultimately extract around 5,700 billion cubic feet from the field.

The minister described the gas as "sweet", meaning it contains relatively ...