The pump which can suck 800 barrels per day of crude oil, was installed on a drilling rig at Ab Teymour Oilfield on Sunday.

Addressing a ceremony to operate the pump for the first time, Bijan Alipour, NISOC CEO, said: "Relying on local capabilities for manufacturing oil industry parts and items is a vital strategy to survive in the sector."

A sucker rod is a steel rod, typically between 25 and 30 feet (7 to 9 meters) in length, and threaded at both ends, used in the oil industry to join together the surface and downhole components of a reciprocating piston pump installed in an oil well. The pumpjack is the visible above-ground drive for the well pump, and is connected to the downhole pump at the bottom of the well by a series of interconnected sucker rods.

Sucker rods are also commonly available made of fiberglass in 37 1/2 foot lengths and diameters of 3/4, 7/8, 1, and 1 1/4 inch. These are terminated in metallic threaded ends, female at one end and male at the other.