Mohammad Jafar Ghaempanah, the Vice President, answered questions about the increase in gasoline prices to 80,000 tomans in an interview, stating that balancing gasoline and diesel prices is not currently on the agenda.
The Need to Balance Fuel Prices
Ghaempanah said: "If we want to balance fuel prices, we must also balance the salaries and wages of employees, retirees, etc." He added that fuel prices cannot be offered at international or regional rates while salaries and wages do not increase accordingly.
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Fuel Smuggling and Its Impact on the Economy
The Vice President further referred to the issue of fuel smuggling, stating: "30 million liters of gasoline and diesel are smuggled daily, and we are effectively subsidizing neighboring countries." He also pointed out that the price difference between diesel and gasoline in Iran and neighboring countries is a significant factor in exacerbating smuggling.
Ghaempanah believes that to solve the fuel smuggling problem, energy carrier prices must be distributed fairly. He emphasized that such a plan is not currently on the government's agenda but that special attention must be paid to corruption bottlenecks in this area. According to him, one effective way to combat smuggling is to bring energy carrier prices to international rates and compensate the public for it.
The Vice President considered balancing fuel prices as a move towards implementing justice and noted that currently, wealthy individuals benefit more from fuel subsidies, which is not fair.
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