Gasoline sanction to help Iran gain self-sufficiency
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The head of Iran's Committee for Transportation and Fuel Management said that the West's potential gasoline sanction on Iran over its nuclear program will help the country to gain self-sufficiency in gasoline demands, the local satellite Press TV reported on Sunday.
"In normal circumstances, we would not become self-sufficient in gasoline production, but if certain conditions, such as sanctions, are created, then we can increase our gasoline production to meet local demands," Mohammad Rouyanian was quoted as saying.
Iran is capable of becoming self-sufficient in gasoline production this year, said Rouyanian on Saturday.
"Considering efforts made by the Oil Ministry, we believe that we can increase gasoline production by 10 million liters (per day) this year," he said.
"Iran's gasoline consumption stands at 62 million liters per day, of which 45 million liters are produced locally," he added.
Iranian oil officials have said that Iran is able to secure its needed gasoline from different foreign sources, or through domestic production if faced with import sanctions.
"Foreign companies will actually sanction themselves if they stop selling gasoline to Iran," Iran's Oil Minister Masoud Mirkazemi was quoted as saying by Press TV in March.
In October, First Secretary for Energy Affairs of Venezuelan embassy in Tehran Louis Mayta said Venezuela and Iran have inked a deal on daily supplies of 20,000 barrels of gasoline to Iran with the quality at international levels.
Britain, France, the U.S. and other western countries have been pushing for a fourth round of UN sanctions, considering gasoline among others, to restrict Iran's nuclear efforts, which they say are aimed at developing nuclear weapons.
Iran has denied the accusation and stressed its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purpose.
