What Aftab Oil Refining Company does

Aftab Oil Refining Company, founded in April 2007 and headquartered in Tehran, is the largest 100% privately-held oil refining company in Iran. Its primary operations are a refinery in the Persian Gulf Industrial City in Bandar Abbas (Hormozgan province), with a secondary logistics site on Shahid Rajaee Port Road. The company converts crude oil feedstock supplied by other gas and oil refineries into two core product lines, light hydrocarbons and heavy hydrocarbons, and additionally exports non-petroleum products. The technology base centers on conventional distillation and a Mobile Hydroprocessing Catalyst (MHC) unit, most recently featuring the installation of Reactor 1501, a 340-ton reactor described as the largest domestically installed refinery reactor, lifted with two 650-ton and 250-ton cranes. Existing nominal capacity is 10,500 barrels per day, expanded by a new 25,000 bpd phase opened in 2023, with stated development plans targeting 33,000 bpd. In 2023 the company registered a production and export record of 1.5 million tons.

Aftab generates revenue through three streams: sales of refined petroleum products to domestic and international buyers, toll-processing services for feedstock supplied by other refineries, and export of petroleum and non-petroleum products. Pricing is B2B-negotiated and not publicly disclosed. Its customer base is segmented horizontally into oil and gas refineries (as feedstock suppliers and processing clients) and global energy markets (as export buyers), with the company recognized as the largest private-sector exporter of petroleum products in Iran. Go-to-market relies on direct enterprise field sales and event-driven engagement at major national oil, gas, petrochemical, and refining exhibitions, supplemented by parliamentary and government outreach. Headcount is reported in the 1,001–5,000 range, with over 2,000 direct and indirect jobs attributed to Hormozgan province.

Strategically, Aftab is currently in an investment-and-partnership cycle: a 2026 cluster of cooperation agreements with Bank Mellat, Bank Day, Bank Eghtesad Novin, the Iran Export Guarantee Fund, and several other banks is being layered onto a research cooperation agreement with the University of Hormozgan. The company has improved its position in the IMI-100 ranking of Iran's top 100 companies for three consecutive years (67 in 1401, 56 in 1402, 52 in 1403) and was named a top export-oriented firm. Leadership consists of Chairman Mohammad Mehdi Doosti and CEO Hamed Kaviani. The company is 100% privately held with no disclosed parent, subsidiaries, or external equity backing, and operates against the regulatory backdrop of a refining sector that is otherwise dominated by state-owned enterprises.

Name

Aftab Oil Refining Company

Legal name

Aftab Oil Refining Company (پالایش نفت آفتاب)

Website

https://aftabor.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Aftab Oil Refining Company, founded in 2007, is Iran's largest 100% privately-held oil refinery, processing crude oil feedstock into light and heavy hydrocarbons at its Bandar Abbas facility for domestic sale and international export.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Oil Refining / Petroleum Product Manufacturing

NAICS

Petroleum Refineries (324110)

SIC

Petroleum Refining (2911)

akta.pro primary industry

Distillation & Fractionation (Crude, Condensate & NGL Splitters) (EUALAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Refinery Offsites, Storage & Loading (Tankage, Truck/Rail/Marine Loading) (EUALAGAK), Refinery Blending & Product Quality Control (Gasoline/Diesel/Jet Blending, Additives) (EUALAGAJ)

Keywords

• Oil refining services
• Petroleum derivatives
• Hydrocarbon products
• Crude oil processing
• Petroleum product exports

Headquarters

HQ city

Tehran

HQ country

Iran

HQ region

Middle East

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Petroleum Product Manufacturing: Refining crude oil feedstock supplied from other refineries to produce petroleum products for domestic consumption and export
2. Export of Petroleum and Non-Petroleum Products: Export of refined petroleum products and non-oil products to global markets; company is recognized as largest exporter of petroleum products in private sector
3. Processing Services for Other Refineries: Performing refining processes using feedstock supplied from other gas and oil refineries

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Aftab Oil Refining Company processes crude oil feedstock supplied from other Iranian gas and oil refineries to produce light hydrocarbons and heavy hydrocarbons. The company operates a refinery in Bandar Abbas with a 25,000 barrels/day nominal capacity (new phase), selling refined petroleum products to domestic industrial buyers and exporting to international energy markets.

Product overview

Aftab Oil Refining Company operates as a petroleum refining company that processes crude oil and other feedstocks to produce light and heavy hydrocarbon products. The company functions as a single unified refining operation with a nominal processing capacity of 10,500 barrels per day in existing operations, with development plans underway to expand capacity to 33,000 barrels per day. The two core product categories—light hydrocarbons and heavy hydrocarbons—are produced through distillation and refining processes and are either sold domestically or exported to compete in global markets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Light Hydrocarbon (هیدروکربن سبک): Light hydrocarbon products produced by the refinery
• Heavy Hydrocarbon (هیدروکربن سنگین)

Products and services

• Light Hydrocarbon (هیدروکربن سبک) Light hydrocarbon products produced through petroleum refining processes, including various fractions suitable for export and industrial applications.
• Heavy Hydrocarbon (هیدروکربن سنگین) Heavy hydrocarbon products derived from crude oil refining, utilized in various industrial sectors and exported to global markets.

Quantifiable outcome

• Production and export of 1.5 million tons in 2023
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• University of Hormozgan (دانشگاه هرمزگان)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Scientific and research cooperation agreement signed with Hormozgan Governorate and University of Hormozgan. Aims to develop scientific cooperation, utilize academic capacities, support applied research, and strengthen effective connection between industry, academia, and provincial management.
• Joint Commission of Industries and Energy of Parliament (کمیسیون مشترک صنایع و انرژی مجلس)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2025Visit by Parliament Energy Commission head and Refining Industry Employers Association secretary to review projects, production status, social responsibility activities, and discuss support for resolving feedstock supply problems.
• Komite Emdad Imam Khomeini (کمیته امداد امام خمینی)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 July 2025Social responsibility partnership for housing projects for orphans. Opened 114 residential units for orphan families under Komite Emdad coverage in Bandar Abbas. Also opened 30 hope homes for deserving families in Sistan and Baluchestan and built 122 residential units previously.
• Ashraf-al-Anbia Charity Institute (مؤسسه خیریه اشرف‌الانبیا)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 July 2025Social responsibility partnership for housing orphans. Collaborated with Komite Emdad and Ashraf-al-Anbia to construct 114 residential units for orphan families. Also partnered for 30 hope homes project in Sistan and Baluchestan.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Tabriz Oil Refining Company: State-owned Iranian refinery in northwestern Iran producing gasoline, diesel, and other petroleum products. Directly comparable refining output mix to Aftab, though operated at substantially larger scale by NIORDC.
• Tehran Oil Refining Company: One of Iran's largest state-owned refineries, located near Tehran. Operates at materially greater scale than Aftab and is part of NIORDC; comparable along product/output lines but as a much larger public incumbent.
• Isfahan Oil Refining Company: Major state-owned Iranian refinery producing light and heavy hydrocarbon products. Comparable refining process and product set but operates on a much larger, publicly-owned scale than Aftab.
• Abadan Oil Refining Company: Historic Iranian refinery and one of the world's oldest refining sites. Provides a useful comparable for crude distillation operations, although it is much larger and state-owned.
• Reliance Industries Limited (Jamnagar Refinery): Operates the world's largest refining complex at Jamnagar, India. Comparable as a private-sector refiner that converts crude into light and heavy petroleum products for export, illustrating the scale trajectory potentially available to a private refiner.
• Saudi Aramco (Refining): Operates a global network of integrated refining and petrochemical assets across the Middle East and beyond. Comparable as a Persian Gulf-adjacent refiner producing and exporting light and heavy hydrocarbons.
• National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company (NIORDC): State-owned parent operator of Iran's refining network and Aftab's counterparty in feedstock allocation. Comparable as the dominant Iranian refining industry player and regulatory gatekeeper for private refiners like Aftab.

Direct peers

• Star Persian Gulf Oil Refinery (Palaieshgaah Setareh Khalij Fars): Iranian refinery peer named in Aftab's customer-visit records for technical and management experience exchange. Directly comparable refining operation competing for feedstock and export customers.
• Lavan Oil Refining Company: Iranian oil refinery operating at Lavan Island in the Persian Gulf. Visited Aftab for operational and technical cooperation, indicating it is a directly comparable private/semi-private refining peer sharing feedstock supply arrangements and product mix.
• Persian Gulf Star Oil Refinery (PGESOR): Iran's largest gas-condensate refinery located in Bandar Abbas, in the same Hormozgan province as Aftab's refinery. Directly comparable as a Persian Gulf-based petroleum refinery producing light hydrocarbon products for export.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aftab-oilrefining

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Aftab Oil Refining Company