The National Iranian Oil Products Refining and Distribution Co (NIOPRDC) managing director, Mohammad-Reza Nematzadeh, added that Nozari, the Oil Ministry's caretaker and National Iranian Oil Co (NIOC) managing director, gave the go-ahead as the 2.5 billion dollar budget ran out.
The NIOPRDC chief was quoted by PIN as saying that the NIOC would provide the currency needed for imports of the commodity.
Based on the permit, he added, 14 to 15 million liters of gasoline would be imported per day.
Iran began rationing gasoline from June 22 and the Oil Ministry has allocated each private car 100 liters per month at about 10 cents per liter for regular and 15 cents for premium gasoline. Under the plan, gasoline is only supplied through smart card, an initiative taken by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to stop lavish fuel consumption by over seven million cars nationwide.
Gasoline rationing would help the government save over three billion dollars until March, Oil Ministry's director for
international affairs said.
Hojatollah Ghanimifard added that gasoline consumption had currently reached 15 million liters per day from 35-36 million liters per day before the rationing plan came into effect in June.
The Islamic Republic spent about seven billion dollars annually on gasoline imports, he said, adding the figure would be decreased to four billion dollars in the near future.
Via: Islamic Republic News Agency
