Iran petrol imports blocked by US blockade, official says

Iran cannot import enough petrol to make up for insufficient domestic production because of a US naval blockade, Vice President Mohammad Jafar Ghaempanah said, according to the official IRNA news agency.

The comments came as Iranians have queued outside petrol stations in recent days and as the war with the United States has increasingly shifted towards economic pressure on Tehran.

“Petrol production is insufficient, and because of the US naval blockade, we cannot import it,” IRNA quoted Ghaempanah as saying on Wednesday.

On Monday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian's chief of staff, Mohsen Haji-Mirzaei, said petrol quotas would be reviewed, without giving details.

The war between Iran and the United States began on February 28. Tehran has since seized control of the Strait of Hormuz, and Washington has imposed a naval counter-blockade on Iranian ports.

Ghaempanah also criticised Iran's heavily subsidised petrol distribution system, saying it favours people who own several vehicles.

“The distribution of petrol in the country is inequitable. Owners of several vehicles benefit from subsidies, unlike those who do not own one,” he said.

Iran is a major oil producer and has some of the world's cheapest fuel, making changes to petrol pricing politically sensitive.