Iran doubles petrol price for high monthly consumption
A new pricing bracket charges 100,000 rials per litre for monthly petrol use above 110 litres as authorities cite declining revenues and pressure on subsidies.
Iran has introduced a higher petrol price bracket for motorists using more than 110 litres a month, doubling the rate for consumption above that threshold from 50,000 to 100,000 rials per litre, according to state media cited by Al Jazeera.
The first 60 litres will remain at the existing price. The supplied reporting does not specify the rate for consumption between 61 and 110 litres.
The change is reportedly the second petrol price increase in Iran since December, as the government seeks to manage declining revenues and the cost of its heavily subsidised fuel system. Authorities have urged people to reduce consumption, saying domestic use exceeds production.
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of the Iranian parliament, said the country needed to conserve petrol, while also arguing that responsibility for high consumption lay partly with industry rather than households.
The price change comes as Iran faces inflation, economic contraction and a weakening rial. Videos circulating on social media reportedly show queues at petrol stations in Tehran, while concerns about further increases have raised the prospect of unrest.
Fuel-price increases triggered major antigovernment protests in 2019, underscoring the political risks of adjusting subsidies in a country where petrol remains among the world’s cheapest.
