Iran plans to almost double its natural gas production to 200 billion cubic meters a year by 2012, an official at the country's national gas company said Friday.

"We are investing heavily in developing our gas sector, and increasing capacity, despite the hurdles that are facing us," Saeed Ghavampour, head of strategic studies at the National Iranian Gas Co., told Dow Jones Newswires in an interview.

Iran currently produces about 110 billion cubic meters of natural gas a year, including 12 billion cubic meters which are exported to Turkey and Armenia, Ghavampour said.

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