TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran’s proposed new oil minister had a “very good” meeting with parliament’s energy commission, an MP was quoted as saying on Monday, suggesting its members had become more positive towards his nomination.

In a surprise move, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad last week nominated current Commerce Minister Masoud Mirkazemi as oil minister.
It is a high-profile post as crude sales account for most state revenue in Iran, the world’s fifth-largest oil exporter.
Mirkazemi, an industrial engineer, has little known experience of the oil industry but is seen as an Ahmadinejad ally. Parliament must approve the nomination of Mirkazemi and other ministerial candidates.
Moayed Hosseini-Sadr, a member of the energy commission, was quoted by the Oil Ministry website SHANA as saying Mirkazemi had presented his plans to its members at a meeting on Sunday. He said they would meet again later on Monday.
“Mirkazemi presented his working plan and ideas in a meeting ...which changed his image among the members of this commission,” Hosseini-Sadr said.
“It was a very good meeting and we are supposed to meet him for a second time this afternoon to get more details,” he said.
His comments were in contrast to a statement on Friday by the head of the commission, Hamid Reza Katouzian, who expressed concern about Mirkazemi’s qualifications and warned of “irreversible damage” to the industry, a newspaper reported.
In 2005, the president failed to get his first three choices for oil minister appointed because of parliament’s opposition.
Defending his cabinet line-up, Ahmadinejad said on Thursday Mirkazemi was a skilled manager: “His presence at the Oil Ministry will further promote the status of our oil industry as a strategic commodity of our nation,” Ahmadinejad said.
The next oil minister faces the challenge of boosting oil and gas output under U.S. and U.N. sanctions, imposed because of the dispute over Iran’s nuclear program.
SHANA said Mirkazemi, in his meeting with the commission, said he aimed to develop Iran’s refineries, safeguard its oil reserves and clamp down on fuel smuggling.
The ISNA news agency said he also aimed to boost crude output to 5.15 million barrels per day in 2014, in line with the government’s next five-year economic development plan. Iran now pumps about 3.8 million bpd, but its capacity is higher.
Caption: Iran’s proposed new Oil Minister Masoud Mirkazemi