Iran gasoline imports halved, reports government office
TelevisionWashington.com / WashingtonTV
12-Oct-2009

13:00GMT—9:00AM/EST

Washington,
12 October (WashingtonTV)—Iran’s gasoline imports between March and
September 2009 have been halved in tonnage, the state-run Press TV
network reported on Monday.

Citing
a report by the public relations office of Iran’s Custom
Administration, Press TV said that the weight of imported gasoline
dropped from 2.69 million tons to 1.33 million tons.

The
decline in gasoline imports comes as the United States and its European
allies are mulling sanctions targeting Iran’s gasoline imports, aimed
at pressuring Tehran over its nuclear program.

Although
Iran is the world’s fifth-largest oil exporter, a lack of refining
capacity forces it to import as much as 40 percent of its gasoline
needs.

However, Iranian
officials have repeatedly shrugged off the impact of any sanctions
measures, saying that the country would still be able to meet its
gasoline needs.

Iran’s Oil
Minister Massoud Mirkazemi on 7 October warned companies which sell
gasoline to Iran that they would be dropped from the country’s list of
suppliers, if they were to halt deliveries in response to possible
sanctions.

Tehran is also taking steps to increase its domestic gasoline output.

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