Ettelaat Newspaper: If You Intend to Raise Gasoline Prices, Be Honest About It

For about a month, rumors have been circulating in the media about the government’s intention to increase the price of gasoline and energy carriers, but they are immediately denied by government officials.

The Ettelaat newspaper, which recently has Abbas Salehi, “a minister from Rouhani’s government,” as its managing director, wrote in a note addressed to the government: “If you really want to raise gasoline prices, do not deny it.”

Some gas station owners in different parts of the country announced in recent days that the government has collected or removed their ration fuel cards from circulation.

However, Iran’s oil minister responded to these rumors on Tuesday, telling reporters: “I announce today that under no circumstances, absolutely not, is the issue of raising gasoline prices even under discussion, and this matter is not on the government’s agenda, and I completely deny the rumors spread in cyberspace and society about collecting gas station owners’ fuel cards, and there is nothing on the agenda of the oil ministry and government in this regard either.”

The Ettelaat newspaper continues: “The volume of multiple public observations about this is not something that can be ignored by denial and refutation, especially since the government has implemented special plans for allocating gasoline to individuals instead of vehicles with the ability to sell at free market rates in Kish and Qeshm, and now it is thought that perhaps it intends to implement it across the country. If the government happens to be thinking about raising fuel prices, denial is not the way, because this action increases distrust.”

Some time ago, Ebrahim Raisi, alluding to the “surgery of Iran’s economy,” said: “The main part of the surgery is still remaining.” According to experts, his reference was to an unknown event, namely the government’s decision to raise energy carrier prices, and this very issue has increased speculation. Some rumors speak of raising gasoline prices up to 18,000 tomans per liter.

It is worth noting that in 1398, the government of the time constantly denied news reports in the media about raising gasoline prices and energy carrier rates, but at midnight on Thursday, the 24th of Aban, the National Iranian Oil Products Distribution Company issued a statement referring to the decision of the Supreme Economic Coordination Council of the heads of the three branches, announcing: “Free gasoline will be supplied at 3,000 tomans per liter and ration gasoline from now on will be supplied at 1,500 tomans per liter. A decision that led to waves of public protests in various cities across the country.

However, the then president Hassan Rouhani later said: “I was not aware of the gasoline price increase and like many of you, I found out about this incident on Friday morning like ordinary people.”

Source: Voice of America