Gas rationing sparks anger in Iran

[Aria-IRAN]

Iran's police chief Gen. Ismail Ahmadi Moghaddam put the total number of damaged stations at 17. Cars and other buildings, including banks, ...
Iran fuel rations spark violence (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6243644.stm)BBC
Iran riots over petrol rationing (http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/0-1&fd=R&url=http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/breakingnews.php%3Fid%3D119745&cid=1117601950&ei=J4CCRpmDKoK40QHhl6ilCA) Bangkok Post
Iran fuel rations spark anger, pump stations burn (http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/0-2&fd=R&url=http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/HAF739457.htm&cid=1117601950&ei=J4CCRpmDKoK40QHhl6ilCA) Reuters AlertNet
Iran Rations Gasoline, Sparks Protest in Tehran (Update3) (http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/0-3&fd=R&url=http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news%3Fpid%3D20601091%26sid%3Da9HiN8aoQngM%26refer%3Dindia&cid=1117601950&ei=J4CCRpmDKoK40QHhl6ilCA) Bloomberg
Guardian Unlimited (http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/0-4&fd=R&url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/iran/story/0,,2112659,00.html&cid=1117601950&ei=J4CCRpmDKoK40QHhl6ilCA)

Angry Iranians burn a gas station (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0j0Qi_HR40)

[valanjak]

I agree with the fact that oil prices need to be higher in Iran because of the economic and environmental implications but the government has put the burden on the people . Commodities keep getting more expensive in Iran so right now its not a good time to do this , first they should focus on other parts of the economy before making such decisions . Many people in Iran make their income from driving Taxis and ect… even people who have decent jobs use their cars as Taxis once in a while so this isn’t a smart move by the IRI , they are basically playing with fire right now and that fire can spread quickly . What I am wondering is what happened to the promise of FREE OIL that kahomaini made before taking power in Iran? This doesn’t sound like free oil to me , maybe bob and Kami can explain this to us .

[!Bob]

I agree with the fact that oil prices need to be higher in Iran because of the economic and environmental implications but the government has put the burden on the people . Commodities keep getting more expensive in Iran so right now its not a good time to do this , first they should focus on other parts of the economy before making such decisions . Many people in Iran make their income from driving Taxis and ect… even people who have decent jobs use their cars as Taxis once in a while so this isn’t a smart move by the IRI , they are basically playing with fire right now and that fire can spread quickly . What I am wondering is what happened to the promise of FREE OIL that kahomaini made before taking power in Iran? This doesn’t sound like free oil to me , maybe bob and Kami can explain this to us .

This is very complicated and I don't pretend to understand all the econoical subtleties of it.

First off, rationing is different to increasing prices. It is I think only the first step and the latter is the more important one in my opinion. And I think it should have been done long ago, but even if done it is done now, better late than never!

Iran has been subsidising petrol for a very long time. It costs money to drill the oil, refine it into various products and distribute and it has been making a loss. However, unfortunately Iranian have a habit of wanting to eat "mAle moft". It's the countries oil and it should be brought out and given to people until it is all gone! I somehow can't agree with that rationale. In every Western country, you are paying a huge percentage as tax; look at the increase and drop in oil prices and increase of petrol prices (in the UK at least) for an interesting read.

Anyway, to benefit the future of the country, that petrol needs to be sold at a reasonable price instead of being subsidised and the proceeds should be used to improve infrastructure which would then allow for an improvement of living standards (of course there will always be allegations of corruption should this ever happen).

But like I said, Iranians as they are don't like to suffer a little hardship so that they'll be 10 times better off in the future, shekamemoon cir bashe emshab, to hell with the rest! (look at Karrubi's platform of giving handouts and how successful that was!) And given the way things are and the "joy" of cheap petrol by a number of different groups for different reasons, this would be an unpopular policy that no government would be willing to take (or at least lightly). Perhpas the sanctions imposed (and the threat of worse ones in future) will have some good use!

Simply put, it can't be done because of economical factors (resulting in unpopularity), but those factors will not improve unless it is done. Catch-22 that requires a lot of will power to go through with it.

PS I am not sure if Khomeini made promises of free oil, he may have, I just don't know but Ahmadinejad made comments on nafto roye sofreye mardom mizare, which I thought was ridiculous then, and it still is.

Also, nothing is free. Perhaps a more "philosphical" (trying too hard to sound sophisticated) comment but it certainly applies to oil!

[valanjak]

This is very complicated and I don't pretend to understand all the econoical subtleties of it.

First off, rationing is different to increasing prices. It is I think only the first step and the latter is the more important one in my opinion. And I think it should have been done long ago, but even if done it is done now, better late than never!

Iran has been subsidising petrol for a very long time. It costs money to drill the oil, refine it into various products and distribute and it has been making a loss. However, unfortunately Iranian have a habit of wanting to eat "mAle moft". It's the countries oil and it should be brought out and given to people until it is all gone! I somehow can't agree with that rationale. In every Western country, you are paying a huge percentage as tax; look at the increase and drop in oil prices and increase of petrol prices (in the UK at least) for an interesting read.

Anyway, to benefit the future of the country, that petrol needs to be sold at a reasonable price instead of being subsidised and the proceeds should be used to improve infrastructure which would then allow for an improvement of living standards (of course there will always be allegations of corruption should this ever happen).

But like I said, Iranians as they are don't like to suffer a little hardship so that they'll be 10 times better off in the future, shekamemoon cir bashe emshab, to hell with the rest! (look at Karrubi's platform of giving handouts and how successful that was!) And given the way things are and the "joy" of cheap petrol by a number of different groups for different reasons, this would be an unpopular policy that no government would be willing to take (or at least lightly). Perhpas the sanctions imposed (and the threat of worse ones in future) will have some good use!

Simply put, it can't be done because of economical factors (resulting in unpopularity), but those factors will not improve unless it is done. Catch-22 that requires a lot of will power to go through with it.

PS I am not sure if Khomeini made promises of free oil, he may have, I just don't know but Ahmadinejad made comments on nafto roye sofreye mardom mizare, which I thought was ridiculous then, and it still is.

Also, nothing is free. Perhaps a more "philosphical" (trying too hard to sound sophisticated) comment but it certainly applies to oil!

That old devil Khomaini (thank god he is dead now) made this promise the first thing when he landed in Iran after exile, he went to Beheshte Zahara and gave a speech with a lot of promises that were never fulfilled . The government of Iran till this say doesn’t rebroadcast that speech and has even banned the video in Iran because its truly an embarrassment for them. This governments foundation was and is based on bull $hit .

[Mani]

Iran, low on gasoline, to be supplied by Venezuela (http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/07/04/asia/web.0704iran.php)

[mak9]

maybe its all a plan to piss off US congress in the wake of the sanctions that are gonna be imposed

[Kambiz]

Ridam be eslam va jomhuriye eslami!!

[Operation Opera]

Ridam be eslam va jomhuriye eslami!! read the rules.

[Aria-IRAN]

Ridam be eslam va jomhuriye eslami!!

LOL

[valanjak]

read the rules.

I am sorry but the rules of the Islamic Republic of Iran don’t apply to Big Soccer rules .

[Faran]

This is necessary to both combat pollution and prepare the population for the sanctions on gasoline, which Iran does not produce but rather imports that will be imposed by the Europeans and Americans.

City cab drivers won't be charged but independent cab drivers, of which there are many, will surely suffer. Tehran's streets are less congested however, so perhaps those drivers will have more customers, and they will probably charge more for their service.

It is truly worrying but nothing else could have been done. Life in Iran would have come to a standstill when gasoline started to come in in really short supplies.

[!Bob]

Since you bumped this, here is an interesting add-on which again a great move (with possible issues remaining):

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6278120.stm

[valanjak]

This is necessary to both combat pollution and prepare the population for the sanctions on gasoline, which Iran does not produce but rather imports that will be imposed by the Europeans and Americans.

City cab drivers won't be charged but independent cab drivers, of which there are many, will surely suffer. Tehran's streets are less congested however, so perhaps those drivers will have more customers, and they will probably charge more for their service.

It is truly worrying but nothing else could have been done. Life in Iran would have come to a standstill when gasoline started to come in in really short supplies.

The majority of cab drivers in Iran are independent drivers . The mullahs should first try to fix this problem , they should of planned something that would give independent taxi drivers ( since there are so many ) a chance to get a taxi licenses before implementing this plan . Like I said , this plan would be great if the mullahs had other plans to support problems such as the taxi problem and the bad economy that Iranians are facing right now. You don’t make life harder for the people when they are already suffering . This gas rationing plan is nothing but a political stunt by Ahmadinejad and its bound to fail just like 99.9 % of other plans and promises made by this government .