The International Oil, Gas, Refining and Petrochemical Exhibition opened at the Tehran International Fair Grounds on Thursday, the official IRNA news agency reported.

Some 435 foreign and 907 Iranian companies active in oil, gas, and petrochemical industries are showing their businesses in 27 halls on 73,000 square meters of land in the five-day exhibition, the report said.

In a live interview broadcast by state IRINN TV, Iran's Oil Minister Masoud Mirkazemi said that despite western attempts to put sanctions on Iran's oil industry, more foreign companies have participated in the exhibition this year in comparison with previous years.

This shows that sanctions cannot have a "real basis," since most of the oil companies are pursuing their own interests, said Mirkazemi.

Sanctions cannot have any impact on Iran's industry but help Iran gain self-sufficiency, he added.

Britain, France, the United States and other western countries have been pushing for a fourth round of UN sanctions, considering gasoline among others, to restrict Iran's nuclear efforts, which they say are aimed at developing nuclear weapons.

Iran has denied the accusation and stressed its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purpose.

Iranian oil officials have said that Tehran is able to secure its needed gasoline from different foreign sources, or through domestic production if faced with import sanctions.