Qa'impanah: 80,000-toman gasoline plan not on the government's agenda
Any move to balance fuel prices would hinge on wage parity; the idea is a long-term anti-smuggling measure, not an immediate policy
IRNA reports that Mohammad Jafar Qa'impanah said the 80,000-toman gasoline plan is not on the government’s agenda. He linked any fuel-price balancing to wage parity and described a long-term idea to curb smuggling by reforming energy subsidies, citing daily fuel smuggling and the need for fair subsidy distribution. The remarks were framed as a long-term concept, not an immediate policy change.
Tehran, IRNA — Mohammad Jafar Qa'impanah, the executive deputy to the president, said that the plan to raise fuel prices to 80,000 tomans is not on the government’s agenda. He noted that if fuel prices were to be balanced, wages for employees, retirees and others would also need to be balanced; the government cannot price fuel at international levels while salaries are not adjusted. He recalled remarks from a prior visit about smuggling, saying that in the long term, solving fuel smuggling requires balancing energy subsidies. He argued that the gap between Iran’s fuel prices and those in neighboring countries is a major driver of smuggling, and clarified that there is no plan to raise prices now. Instead, the idea discussed is to distribute energy subsidies more fairly as part of a long-term anti-smuggling strategy. Qa'impanah also pointed to high per-capita energy consumption and to about 30 million liters of fuel smuggling per day, noting that the government has established broad efforts to combat smuggling. He reiterated that the proposed reform is not an immediate government agenda item, but a recognition of corruption chokepoints and a move toward aligning subsidies with international levels for the benefit of the public. (IRNA)