Qa'impanah: 80,000-toman gasoline plan is not on the government's agenda
IRNA quotes the president's executive deputy saying long-run energy pricing reforms, not immediate hikes, are under consideration
IRNA reports that Mohammad-Jaafar Qa'impanah says an 80,000-toman gasoline plan is not on the government's agenda, and that any long-term reform would tie energy subsidies to equitable wage adjustments to curb fuel smuggling.
Tehran — IRNA reports that Mohammad-Jaafar Qa'impanah, the president's executive deputy, emphasized that a plan to raise gasoline prices to 80,000 tomans per liter is not on the government's current agenda. He said that balancing fuel prices would require balancing wages for workers and retirees, and noted that his remarks during a visit to the Anti-Smuggling and Currency Task Forces were about a long-term strategy to curb fuel smuggling. Qa'impanah pointed to the large price gap between Iran and neighboring countries as a key driver of smuggling and said the government has formed broad efforts to combat it. He reiterated that the idea is not to raise prices now, but to consider, in the long run, fair distribution of energy subsidies and to compensate citizens accordingly, in order to improve equity. He also highlighted that the country consumes a high level of energy and that current subsidies predominantly benefit wealthier households, which is not fair.