TEHRAN, Iran, June 13. The Iranian government is unlikely to remove smart fuel cards from gas station owners, the chairman of the Fuel Station Owners Association Homayoon Salehi told Trend.
"No regulation has been announced about the removal of smart fuel cards of gas station owners," he said ruling out some Iranian media reports.
Salehi pointed out that fuel cards of station owners in some border towns have been removed and the owners were told to use personal fuel rationing cards for up to 250 liters of unsubsidized petrol.
The official stressed that removing station owners' fuel cards in border cities prevented fuel smuggling.
Smart cards are used for buying gasoline, subsidized by the government, at 15,000 rials a liter ($0.35) for the first 60 liters per month and 30,000 rials ($0.7) a liter for the next 250 liters. Gas stations own different types of smart fuel cards with limitless gasoline at an unsubsidized rate.
After the sharp devaluation of the Iranian rial, fuel smuggling has increased. It was estimated that 10 million to 20 million liters of fuel, i.e., 12-24 percent of Iran's daily fuel consumption, was smuggled out of the country.