Azerbaijan, Baku , Nov. 25/ Trend F.Milad/
Some 6 million liters of gas oil is being smuggled from Iran each day, deputy oil minister said on Sunday.
The prices of fuels in neighboring countries are 7 or 8 times higher than Iran, so smuggling gasoline and gas oil has created a great market for the smugglers, the ISNA News Agency quoted Alireza Zeyqami as saying.
"Iran needs to increase the price of fuels in order to prevent smuggling," Zeyqami said.
Deputy Manager of National Iranian Oil Products Distribution Company (NIOPDC) Naser Sajjadi said on October 22 that some 92 liters of diesel oil were consumed in the first seven months of the current Iranian calendar year, which began on March 20.
The amount is 4.2 percent more that the same period previous year.
According to Sajjadi averagely some 64 million liters of gasoline were also consumed during the mentioned period, which is 5.7 percent more that the same time span previous year.
Sajjadi had previously said that Iran's gasoline consumption increases by 5 percent each year.
He also said that considering the official reference rate of 12,260 rials to the US dollar, the real price of gasoline in Iran is 10,000 rials (about 82 U.S. cents).
Currently gasoline is sold at two prices: a 60-liter monthly allowance at 4000 rials (33 cents) per liter, and any amount above that at 7000 rials (57 cents) per liter.
Last year the International Monetary Fund commended the Iranian government for the subsidy reform policy, which it said had led to a reduction in fuel consumption.