Iran's oil minister said Tuesday that his country will add 14 million liters of gasoline to its daily output, the official IRNA news agency reported.

Masoud Mirkazemi said the production of gasoline in Iran's three petrochemical plants would decrease the amount of imported gasoline by 14 million liters per day, the report said.

At a ceremony, Mirkazemi announced the initiation of the operational phase of the project aimed at raising gasoline output in the three petrochemical plants of Imam Khomeini Port, Bu- Alisina and Borzuyeh, all situated in southern Iran.

"The project will discourage the enemies from efforts to limit Iran's access to gasoline in the market," he said.

He added that although the import of gasoline has been misused as a lever to put pressure on the Iranian people, there are various companies who are ready to extend their supply agreements with Iran.

Western countries have threatened to impose gasoline sanctions on Iran over its defiance to comply with the UN resolutions to halt its disputed nuclear activities.

However, Iran's governor of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) Mohammad-Ali Khatibi downplayed the threat.

"The rainy season has ended in most countries of the world and gasoline consumption will resultantly slide to the minimum level. Thus, a large number of gasoline suppliers are vying hard with each other in a bid to sell their gasoline to Iran," the semi- official Fars news agency quoted Khatibi as saying on Oct. 26.

Venezuela and Iran have inked a deal on daily supplies of 20, 000 barrels of gasoline to Iran with the quality at international levels, First Secretary for Energy Affairs of Venezuelan embassy in Tehran Louis Mayta said on Oct. 28.

The United States and its allies have accused Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons under the cover of civilian nuclear program. Iran consistently denied the charges and insisted that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only.