Chaos as Iran Starts Fuel Rations

Chaos as Iran Starts Fuel Rations

news.bbc.co.uk

Iranians were given only two hours' notice of the move that limits private drivers to 100 litres of fuel a month.

Despite its huge energy reserves Iran lacks refining capacity, forcing it to import about 40% of its petrol.

Eyewitnesses have seen at least one petrol station in the outskirts of the west of Tehran on fire and there are reports that three people died in the blaze.

All over the city there are huge queues and reports of scuffles at petrol stations...

(visit the link for the full news article)

Despite having the second largest oil reserves in the world (so we are told) their lack of refining capacity makes fuel a critical commodity they have to import. It seems their fears of said imports being eventually cut off with some sort of sanctions have prompted this move.

An angry population is not good. This move smells of desperation or a bad miscalculation to me. Why not wait for the sanction so they can blame the "evil west"?

news.bbc.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)

This tells me they are rationing because they have something planned in which they will need lots of fuel...

There has been talks of some Muslim nations uniting once again to attack Israel... I really hope this is not why this is happening in Iran.

Originally posted by Muaddib
This tells me they are rationing because they have something planned in which they will need lots of fuel...

I agree 100% either that or our nation is planning to bomb the nuclear facilities, I don't think Israel will risk a confrontation right now with Iran specially when Iraq is in a precarious situation of instability for the US.

But definitely something is going on and they are getting ready.

Quick Find Gools!

This is hopefully nothing to do with War plans hopefully, it seems to be an economic and central planning move, though Iran has most of the oil in the world due to the diplomatic situation vis -a-vis the US and West over the years, they have been blocked from importing the refining the equiptment and personnel they need to turn the oil into petrol.

They actually import around 50% I believe from memory of their petroleum. This is differant from Oil.

I just put on the news and a BBC journalist in Tehran stated that up to 3 people are feared dead in the petrol station explosion caused by the rioters.

As said I just hope this is how it seems to anyone who knows anything about the world markets.

Kind regards

Elf

I've always found it ironic that one of the world's largest oil producers has to import almost
half it's Petrol, I wonder what idiot (well for them atleast, great for us though) decided to not
build lots of refineries for his country.


Anyways, I see two reasons they could be doing this.

1. They think that sanctions or something else that would severely cut there oil import
is soon to be placed on them.

2. They plan on blocking the straight of Hormuz and want to have enough oil to be bale to
sell at first for obscene amounts of money and also have enough to run their country for the duration of it.

Originally posted by iori_komei
2. They plan on blocking the straight of Hormuz and want to have enough oil to be bale to
sell at first for obscene amounts of money and also have enough to run their country for the duration of it.

That could be a reason but lets no forget that they sell most of their oil to China and that China has a lot of money invested in Iran.

Also the riots could be a good think even when is sad that people will die, at least riots can spill on something bigger like a regime change.

Originally posted by Muaddib
This tells me they are rationing because they have something planned in which they will need lots of fuel...

That's one possibility. Something just doesn't seem right with this story but I can't put my finger on it.

Have their fuel imports been threatened at all? I have no clue were they import from.
.

"The top three import partners for Iran are: the UAE, Germany, and France."

www.fita.org...

UAE is United Arab Emirates

UAE info

Yeah but:

The commodities mainly imported are [from france Germany and UAE?]: machinery, iron & steel, electric & electronic equipment, and cereals.

The site your quote does not give the source of fuel imports. I'm still looking...
.

Has this countries told Iran that they will stop their imports? any other news on that?

This seems to be very interesting.

A-Ha!!

It looks like it could be a simple budget issue.

This is from this past Sunday:



I guess the cheap gas party is over.

Imagin if this does lead to overthrow of the regime?
.

I think this is it.

Iran oil partners 2005

Originally posted by Gools
A-Ha!!
I guess the cheap gas party is over.
Imagin if this does lead to overthrow of the regime?

.

How dare Iran sell cheap oil to its people yes regime change is imminent.

Thanks Trance!

I also found this:

A senior oil industry official said here on Tuesday that Iran imports gasoline from several parts of the world, including China, India and Brazil, stressing that the government would spend $475 million in the coming weeks on importing petrol.
www.irandaily.ir...

Only Brazil is not on the list you cited, but that may be a recent deal they signed.
.

Awsome, thank you as well.

I was looking for more recent info. felt bad that I could only find 2005 but it was a start,

So I wonder if any of these countries will stop their exports to iran during a war time situation?

Do they have a reliable source of alternative energy? like are their nuke sites up and running? or fusion of any sorts?

What do you want to bet that they import gas through the Straights of Hormuz. We know they don't import from Iraq, or Afghan. Pakistan is probably out of the question. They would most likely use oil tankers like everyone else. Talk about a Samson plan. If they block the straights, they're cutting their own necks.

I think they should have invested in weapons grade petroleum. I'd like to see them run their cars on plutonium. Why don't they refine their own? They pay to ship crude oil over seas, pay to have it refined and then pay to ship it back, then heavily subsidise it? Maybe common sense went out the window somewhere along the line.

The budget explaination doesn't cut it for me,sorry Gools, this whole story could be a smoke screen, please tell me that with all the talk of war that has been happening lately that they would be so inept as to run short on fuel before the war ever started???

Come on, I would think that after all of thier chest beating, and boisterous world stage grandstanding that they would have more on the ball than to let something like this happen. their playing possum. IMO

Iran spent 5billion dollars last year for fuel and ended up having to ask thier parliament for more cash. Then knowing they needed at least 5 billion dollars decided to set the budget for 2.5billion. Either they just dont have that cash or they put 2.5billion into something else.


Whats happening is Iran is spending cash on military instead of all the things they should be spending money on like oil refineries and basic infrastructure. I doubt much will come of this. North Korea has been on the hairy fringes of these kinds of problems for years and they are still kicking and NK doesnt have the benifits that come with oil. I think if the people revolt they just take a page out of the handbook of the CIA and pull a Iran-style blackflag operation to start a war and blame the West for all their troubles.

A nation whose president has recently repeatedly talked of the annihilation of Isreal. Maybe things are going to get hot soon?