<p>The geographical location of Iran has made it one of the most significant countries in the world in terms of hydrocarbon reserves. Despite possessing substantial oil and gas reserves, Iran has faced energy imbalance in recent years, particularly during the cold season. Given the importance of this issue, this study evaluates the status of natural gas reserves, production, and consumption in Iran in comparison with other countries, while also proposing solutions to reduce energy imbalance in the country. This research is based on quantitative methods. Statistical data were sourced from the website of the Ministry of Petroleum of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Statista information and statistics website, and the websites of OPEC and OPEC Gas. The primary research tools utilized were SPSS for necessary calculations and Expert Choice for implementing the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) model. The findings of this study indicate that Iran, with 32.3 trillion m³ of gas reserves, ranks second among countries worldwide. In terms of natural gas production, Iran stands third globally, with an annual production of 252 billion m³, and ranks fourth in per capita natural gas consumption, with an annual consumption of 2894 m³. Additionally, the identified solutions for reducing energy imbalance in the country indicate that due to Iran’s high potential for solar and wind energy production, investment in renewable energy, particularly solar energy, with a weight of 0.240, has the highest priority. Following this, promoting education and awareness for optimal gas consumption, with a weight of 0.197, and upgrading gas appliances across domestic, commercial, and industrial sectors, with a weight of 0.161, have been selected as the most significant strategies for reducing energy imbalance in the country.</p>