In signal to West, Iran boosts fuel output

TEHRAN (Reuters) – Iran said it temporarily boosted gasoline production by about 30 percent on Tuesday to show the West it can cope with any sanctions targeting its fuel imports.

Oil Minister Massoud Mirkazemi said the move to raise output by 14 million liters per day increased total output to 58.5 million liters. Domestic consumption stands at about 66.5 million liters per day.

The higher production level, carried out at three southern petrochemical plants, would only last for a few days, he said, making clear it was not economical in the long run.

“With this move we would like to show that the West can not use any limitations on selling gasoline to Iran as a tool against the Islamic Republic,” Mirkazemi told a news conference.

He also said Iran faced no problems in importing gasoline as it had a “good list” of suppliers. It also had at least 1.5 billion liters in storage at all times.

Reuters