Iran says US naval blockade is limiting petrol imports

Iran has been unable to import enough petrol to make up for a shortfall in domestic production because of a US naval blockade, a senior Iranian official said on Wednesday. “Petrol production is insufficient, and because of the US naval blockade, we cannot import it,” Vice President Mohammad Jafar Ghaempanah was quoted as saying by Iran’s state news agency IRNA. His comments came as long queues formed outside petrol stations across Iran in recent days, with the war with the United States increasingly shifting towards economic pressure on Tehran. On Monday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s chief of staff, Mohsen Haji-Mirzaei, said the country’s petrol quotas would be reviewed, without providing further details. The conflict began on 28 February, with Tehran subsequently taking control of the strategic Strait of Hormuz and Washington imposing a naval counter-blockade on Iranian ports. Ghaempanah also criticised Iran’s heavily subsidised fuel distribution system, saying it disproportionately benefits people who own multiple vehicles. “The distribution of petrol in the country is inequitable,” he said. “Owners of several vehicles benefit from subsidies, unlike those who do not own one.” Iran is one of the world’s major oil producers and has some of the cheapest petrol prices globally, but years of heavy fuel subsidies have made any attempt to change prices politically sensitive.