Arrest of 11 Officials in Hormozgan on Charges of Fuel Smuggling

The news agency "Mizan," affiliated with the judiciary of the Islamic Republic, reported the arrest of 6 village heads, 3 employees from the Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade (IMT), and 2 members of the Engineering System on charges of collaborating with fuel smugglers. Arif Akbari, the public prosecutor and revolutionary prosecutor of Hormozgan province, stated that these individuals issued "false confirmations" for construction machinery, facilitating "aiding in smuggling." Fuel smuggling is considered by experts to be an organized and targeted action coordinated with regulatory and military institutions. According to estimates by specialized agencies reported by the "Fars" news agency, the total fuel smuggling from the country appears to be about 15 million liters per day, equivalent to an annual loss of 4 billion dollars. Analysts believe that smuggling 15 million liters of fuel daily through cargo and fuel transport vehicles is not feasible, and this amount of fuel is certainly organized and made possible using high-level technical facilities and equipment, including pipelines for transporting products. The head of Iran's Fuel Management Headquarters also identified the "largest incentive" for smuggling as the "difference" between the original fuel price and the price at which it is sold at stations. Alireza Ahmadi Fini stated on Sunday, December 5, that the headquarters' goal is to control fuel consumption and smuggling. The Islamic Republic is currently facing a negative balance of 15 million liters in production and consumption, which corresponds to the amount of fuel smuggled daily. The lack of serious determination to combat smuggling or the "inability of the government" to fight against powerful institutions involved in fuel smuggling has led to challenges for people in securing gasoline in recent months. The lack of serious action against fuel smuggling occurs while the government has implemented measures in recent months to control consumption, such as eliminating fuel cards for station owners, reducing fuel quotas, and also rationing gasoline distribution to fuel distribution stations, which has disrupted people's lives. Images attributed to the destruction of homes in the village of Kolahi under the pretext of combating fuel smuggling, the decrease in the age of "Shouti" (fuel smugglers) due to poverty; gambling with lives for 100 million tomans, reactions to new restrictions on gasoline purchases in Iran: a sign of a "new crisis," whispers of gasoline price increases; an economist: it is impossible to pay salaries in rials and sell gasoline in dollars, the Union of Oil Sellers in Pakistan: more fuel is smuggled from Iran, warning of a "critical situation" for gasoline and diesel by officials of the Islamic Republic.