Baku, Azerbaijan, May 10
By Fatih Karimov - Trend:
Iran's average daily gasoline import has reached 12 million liters during the current Iranian fiscal year (started March 20), indicating a rise by 30 percent, Mehr news agency reported May 10.
In the meantime, Iran's gasoline imports during the last fiscal year registered a sharp rise by 100 percent from 4.5 million liters per day to nine million liters per day.
Iran's Oil Ministry plans to exchange gas oil and crude oil for gasoline, according to the report.
The National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) has recently signed an agreement with the Swiss branch of the Dutch company Vitol for buying gasoline. Some costs will be paid in gas oil or crude oil to Vitol's Swiss subsidiary.
Tehran is also negotiating with certain Asian refineries on the issue.
Iran says it will stop the gasoline import by August 2016 after the Persian Gulf Star refinery's first phase becomes operational.
By fully commencing the Persian Gulf Star refinery (all of its three phases), Iran will increase its gasoline output by 36 million liters per day.
The Islamic Republic currently imports only the Euro 4 gasoline.
Iran used to import 40 percent of its needed gasoline by 2009. But the international sanctions forced it to produce gasoline domestically by adding lead or some poisonous chemical catalysts to the product.
President Hassan Rouhani's administration ordered to stop the distribution of substandard gasoline.