Middle East News
Riots in Iran following petrol rationing
Jun 27, 2007, 9:51 GMT
Tehran - Riots broke out in Iran in the early hours of Wednesday and some petrol stations were set on fire in the capital Tehran following the government's decision to ration petrol.
According to local press reports, at least five petrol stations in Tehran were set on fire in protest against the rationing. Some banks and supermarkets were also reportedly robbed.
Witnesses said the people also shouted slogans against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who is considered as the initiator of the petrol rationing.
The Iranian parliament swiftly reacted to the riots and summoned the oil and interior ministers to investigate the incidents in a secret session.
The oil ministry announced via state-television that necessary grounds would be prepared to prevent any petrol problems for the people. The ministry's promises were, however, based on establishing new oil refineries in the coming years.
As of Wednesday, Iran, one of the world's largest oil producers, started rationing petrol nationwide.
The oil ministry said in a statement that each private car will get 100 litres per month at 0.108 dollars per litre for normal and 0.151 dollars for super petrol.
The announcement caused huge chaos on Tehran's streets in the late night hours of Tuesday with cars rushing to petrol stations to fill their tanks before the start of the rationing.
Anything above the ration quota was scheduled to be sold at 0.30 to 0.40 dollars per litre or at a floating rate but no final decision has yet been announced in this regard.
The incidents confirmed the government's fears that the move would dent Ahmadinejad's popularity before parliamentary elections in March next year, besides increasing inflation.
Although Iran as a leading OPEC member has a daily oil production of 4.2 million barrels, the Islamic state still spends 5-8 billion dollars annually on petrol imports due to lack of refineries and a preference for oil export.
The first phase of petrol rationing was carried out earlier this month for governmental cars which have a quota of 300 litres per month.
Petrol is only supplied through the so-called 'smart card' or petrol coupon, an initiative by Ahmadinejad to stop lavish fuel consumption which currently stands at an estimated 73 million litres daily.
With the initiative Ahmadinejad hopes not only to fill the huge gap in Iran's budget but also to tackle related problems such as traffic jams and pollution in big cities.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-AgenturCOMMENT
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Older Talkback
page: 1
Imagine a similar rationing in the US (again)... we would see the same thing... it's tough to limit gluttony and tell people its for their own good
And you question why Iran needs power plants for peaceful purposes?
Well, for once I agree with the tactics used by the Iranian government.
The US could possibly learn something from this strategy in fighting our dependence on imported oil.
If only Iran didn't act so dramatically. A three-four fold increase in the gas price overnight can really shake things up.
This is a religious experience.
Power to the Imams ride on...or Burn baby burn.
What does the Quran say about this?
Shaken not stirred!
Sorry for responding so quickly, but I don't believe many have a problem with Iran having power plants, just the ability to enrich uranium to weapons grade.
Secondly, I don't believe electric capacity is as big of problem as petrol in Iran. Iran only has one petrol refinery (that I recall), therefore they must import a majority of their gas at market prices and subsidize the price for sale to their citizens.
I hope this clears things up SOHRAB.
The people that have the crude don't refine it. Countries like Iran should focus on increasing their capacity to refine their most important export. It seems they are too focused exporting bomb belts than oil.
The state of New Jersey refines more crude than Saudi Arabia and Iran. Religous fanatics should stay in mosques, synagues and churches. They have no business running countries.
Governments are inept all over the world. Here is one of the major oil producing nations on earth and their leaders are too stupid to forsee the need for refineries. This would seem to be a point of serious weakness that the free world should capitalize on immediately.Let them mix concrete and forge steel for their nuke plant by hand. Maybe they could be brought into the real world without any need ever for any military sabre rattling. If they have to push their airplanes and ships by manpower maybe they won't be so cocky.
If the west doesn't use this lever, we deserve the scorn Iran heaps on us.
Let'em riot in the dark... Civilization always seems to favor the more enlightened nations.. strange how democracy and capitalism work. Vice president Cheney is probably sick and tired of being batted around about KBR and their construction ability.. maybe he could help these dolts.
At last the infidels feel the wrath of western sanctions , let the good people of iran riot and overthrow the despot warmongering medieval caveman.
Iran is a wonderfull country with lovely people , enjoy your freedom , it will come.
Why don't they just increase their refining capacity instead of wasting their time on nuclear enrichment. Or invest in green energy. Pleanty of sunshine there to power solar-steam turbines. Or even send crude oil out and import refined petroleum in return. What are these ideas to radical for Iran?
Sweet, maybe everyone will rise up and give Amadamnjihad and Ayatollah Assahollah the boot! There's some sharp folks coming out of Iran, and their history must be preserved for all of mankind. This definitely beats going to war with 'em, let's have a secular revolution there!
My personal experience as an expatriate is that of educated, sophisticated and kind people.
I can’t believe that the Iranians are letting these people rule them.
We should all do our part - send matches to Iran.
Wouldn't it be nice if Iran threw off the rotten ayetollahs and mullahs who are doing their best to get them destroyed?
MASS RIOTING Against the Regime in Iran (Video!)
Some youths hurled stones and chanted, 'Guns, fireworks, tanks, (President Mahmoud) Ahmadinejad should be killed',
gatewaypundit.blogspot.com/2007/06/rioting-against-regime-in-iran.html< br />
Clashes have occurred around the capital city with the Islamic Supression forces, mostly Bassijis, firing live rounds into the crowds protesting the gasoline rationing.
And voicing their anger at the way the Islamic Regime under Ahmadi-Nejad has mishandled the economy, has sent huge sums, in the hundreds of millions of dollars, overseas to groups like Hamas and Hezbollah, while Iranians rummage in trash bins to survive.
About half a billion dollars was also diverted to Syria to buy Russian made weapons both for Syrian transfet to anti-israel groups in the Palestinian areas and for Russian fighter jets for Iran itself via this proxy buyer.
While Islamic government forces of Iran fired shots into protesters in Kermanshah, reports indicate that the populace of Sanandaj, a largely Kurdish city, have taken over control of the township and are now in charge.
Other cities throughout the nation are experiencing unrest and protest against the Mullahs.
www.antimullah.com/
Angry people have blocked the main highway in Tehran and several serious clashes have occurred in gas stations across the capital. The amount of anger among the people is such that police forces have refused to intervene in some parts of the city where roads are blocked and people have shattered the buildings' windows. And some reports indicate that 50 petrol stations were set ablaze in Tehran alone and at least 3 people died in the clashes.
thespiritofman.blogspot.com/2007/06/petrol-crisis.html
Tehran, Iran, Jun. 27 - Large numbers of youths across Tehran demonstrated violently late Tuesday against the government's decision to ration fuel.
Angry youths set fire to several petrol stations in the Iranian capital and chanted slogans against Iran's hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
'Gun, tanks, fireworks; Ahmadinejad must be killed“, they chanted.
www.iranfocus.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=11689
Man, it would be wonderful if they had a revolution against their miserable thug-ocracy.
shietn well stired
Just FrankJun 27th, 2007 - 11:18:54
Sorry for responding so quickly, but I don't believe many have a problem with Iran having power plants, just the ability to enrich uranium to weapons grade.
Secondly, I don't believe electric capacity is as big of problem as petrol in Iran. Iran only has one petrol refinery (that I recall), therefore they must import a majority of their gas at market prices and subsidize the price for sale to their citizens.
I hope this clears things up SOHRAB.
How do you suppose they get the coal to houses, on carts??? A lot of homes there use gas also, a power plant will aid in reducing this fuil too, more electricity also There are two refinerys being built but they won't be ready for another two years.
And with regard to the sittuation there, lets hope they do get rid of the Mullahs without any bloodshed!
'A lot of homes there use gas also, a power plant will aid in reducing this fuil too, more electricity also '
Fine, they could have accepted subsidized light water reactors that would have generated electricity without the enrichment to weapons grade worry. They refused insisting on paying through the nose for crappy, more dangerous Russian heavy water plants for the uranium and the ability to make plutonium. They could have accepted reprocessing outside Iran for Free, FREE. Instead they spent probably hundreds of millions of dollars on an enrichment cascade with the only possible reason being that they are after weapons grade uranium.
Finally, the idea that they need nuclear energy while sitting on the some of the largest oil and natural gas reserves is just laughable. They want bombs.
'A lot of homes there use gas also,'
They could have built a dozen refinery's in Iran for the cost of what they have spent on their atomic weapons programs and the terrorism in Lebanon, Gaza and Iraq.
' lets hope they do get rid of the Mullahs without any bloodshed!'
Lets hope they can get rid of the mullahs. That would be wonderful. I don't see it happening, but one can hope.
What they need petrol for anyway? They have democratically elected Ahmadinejad and peaceful religion Islam. Nobody can have everything!
page: 1
The AnonymousJun 27th, 2007 - 10:42:32
Could this be the start of the end for the ruling clergy?
Iranians have flair and class, surly they could do with better class of people as their leaders.
It could very well be the case.
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