Qa'impanah: 80,000-toman gasoline plan is not on the government's agenda
Official says any energy-price adjustments must be matched with wage reforms and that the idea was a long-term anti-smuggling concept, not an immediate policy.
Iranian official Mohammad Jafar Qa'impanah says the 80,000-toman gasoline plan is not on the government's agenda. He links any price balancing to wage reforms, describes the discussion as a long-term anti-smuggling idea, and notes a large daily smuggling flow (about 30 million liters) tied to energy-subsidy policy and price gaps with neighbors.
Tehran — Iran’s IRNA reports that Mohammad Jafar Qa'impanah, the president’s executive deputy, stressed that the proposed 80,000-toman gasoline plan is not at all on the government's agenda. He said, “In the current conditions, balancing the price of gasoline and diesel is not on the agenda.” He added that if fuel prices are to be balanced, wages and salaries for workers and retirees must also be balanced.
Qa'impanah recalled remarks from his visit to the anti-smuggling headquarters, noting that his comments referenced a long-term approach to curbing fuel smuggling. He said, “In the long term, if we want to solve the smuggling problem, we have no choice but to balance energy carrier prices.” He stressed that the plan is not to raise fuel prices now, but to consider fair distribution of energy subsidies and to address corruption points.
The acting head of the Presidential Administration highlighted that the price gap between Iran and neighboring countries is a major source of smuggling and that, in the long run, energy subsidies should be aligned with international levels and distributed to people fairly. He noted that energy consumption is high and that around 30 million liters of fuel are smuggled daily, with subsidies effectively flowing to neighboring countries.
Qa'impanah reiterated that the idea was raised to emphasize the importance of identifying corruption points and that the government is not currently pursuing a fuel-price hike; instead, the discussion centers on long-term subsidy reform to reduce smuggling and promote equity in subsidy distribution.