Confusion Over Gasoline Pricing

The newspaper Donya-e-Eqtesad described the events of the public session of the parliament on Tuesday as "gasoline confusion," stating: "The tiered pricing of gasoline was approved in the parliament on Tuesday morning, but was reversed in the afternoon." According to this newspaper, during the morning session of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, while reviewing the budget bill, "a proposal aimed at tiered gasoline pricing for this year was presented, based on three main pillars: mandatory use of smart fuel cards, allocation of quotas for all vehicles, and price changes according to consumption levels." It was reported that if this proposal is finalized, "each vehicle will receive a monthly quota of 60 liters of gasoline at a rate of 1,000 tomans, but alongside the base quota, three price tiers are designed, each with a quota of 40 liters at different prices." Accordingly, the base quota for each vehicle in a month is 60 liters at a price of 1,000 tomans per liter, with consumption from 60 to 100 liters priced at 1,500 tomans, from 100 to 140 liters at 1,750 tomans, and from 140 to 180 liters at 2,000 tomans per liter. For vehicles consuming more than 180 liters per month, "the total cost of gasoline" will be calculated. The Donya-e-Eqtesad newspaper emphasized that this proposal by Ahmad Tavakoli, a conservative representative of the ninth parliament, despite being approved in the morning session, was returned to the Joint Commission for further review due to "ambiguities." The newspaper Etemad also reported on its front page the "cancellation of the controversial gasoline resolution," but provided a different account of the gasoline quota, stating that in the morning session, representatives approved Tavakoli's proposal, determining that "the price of gasoline for vehicles consuming between 180 to 220 liters per month would be 1,500 tomans, for consumption between 220 to 260 liters 1,750 tomans, and for consumption above 260 liters per month, 2,000 tomans." This newspaper noted the "government's opposition" to this resolution and also mentioned a "discovery of an error" in it "after a two-hour break," according to Mehrdad Bazrpash's reminder. Ali Larijani, the Speaker of the Parliament, stated in the afternoon session that "after the morning session, I paid attention and realized that the base rate in this resolution is not specified," and "now we must strive to ensure that no problem arises for the entire country, so this important matter must be put to a vote for referral." Gholamali Jafarzadeh Iman Abadi, a parliament member, told Etemad that "during the break, we received many negative messages about this resolution," and "it was not only the government officials who opposed it during the break, as messages from 'other places' also came in for reconsideration of the proposal, which the representatives quickly became aware of." This parliament member also mentioned the content of these "messages," stating: "Important messages reached the parliament, all indicating that the country is not ready for such a resolution and such decisions could be dangerous," adding that the "high number of messages" and their "seriousness" led representatives to realize the necessity of retracting their morning resolution and, without any resistance, refer it back to the Joint Commission just a few hours after its approval. Mansour Bitaraf, the editor-in-chief of the newspaper Teadul, in an editorial titled "The Weak Memory of Iran's Decision-Makers" referred to the actions of the conservative representatives in the seventh parliament in passing the "Price Stabilization Law," which prevented the implementation of Mohammad Khatami's government's plan for a gradual increase in gasoline prices. The editorial writer emphasized that now "the same tragic story is repeating itself in a more comical manner," stating: "The main player is the same, the playing field is the parliament, and the subject is the same petroleum products, especially gasoline, and its justification is another form of populism," but conservatives "have entered from a different angle this time." The newspaper discussed the "consequences" of determining "tiered gasoline pricing," stating: "If this resolution is implemented, the country will face multiple gasoline prices, which means the emergence of another corruption in the energy sector," adding that "if the ninth parliament insists on passing this supplementary clause and turns it into law, it will undoubtedly leave the same memory that the seventh parliament left on the economy of the country and in the minds of experts." The editorial writer concluded: "Who does not know what heavy damage the Price Stabilization Law, which was implemented for more than six years in the country, inflicted on the economy? Should we be bitten twice by the same snake?" A report on "tiered gasoline price increases from the perspective of the public and gas station owners" is another headline from the newspaper Teadul, which emphasized the dissatisfaction of many vehicle owners, especially taxi drivers, quoting Nasser Riyasi-Fard, the head of the Employers' Association of Gas Stations, stating: "Such a resolution is not at all executable and will lead to numerous anomalies." The newspaper Javan, close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, in its Saturday issue, in a note titled "The Value of Siege, the Anti-Value Siege" referred to instances of "siege" and "hanging" opponents on the orders of Ayatollah Khomeini, wrote in its Wednesday issue: "Despite the general approval of the content of the criticism and opinion, it is not the viewpoint of the Javan newspaper," adding that "it would have been more appropriate to exercise greater caution in the use of certain terms." Mohammad Reza Kaeni, in the Tuesday issue of the Javan newspaper, addressed Mehdi Karroubi, the opposition candidate under house arrest from the 2009 elections, asking: "Aren't you interested in returning to the golden age of Imam Khomeini?" He wrote: "May God bless the father of this 'Sayyid' who nobly only calls you unworthy; if you were in that golden era, with a few words of command, they would have hanged all of you." The writer of the Tuesday note in the Javan newspaper, however, in the Wednesday issue of the same newspaper, in response to those who accused him of "revenge of the hardliners and hypocrites against the Imam and the Imam's companions," wrote: "If the current leadership of the system has nobly refrained from executing the punishment for corruption on the leaders of the sedition, it cannot be said that the previous leadership, by executing the punishment for corruption on such individuals, has abandoned nobility." Simultaneously, the newspaper Shargh reported with the headline "Strange Response to a Letter," stating: "The Javan newspaper published a note on Tuesday that, according to political activists, insulted the Imam." This newspaper noted that "Mohammad Reza Kaeni," the same "writer of the Javan newspaper note," has a history in this regard, referring to another note of his dated July 9, 2014, titled "Siege is Good but Only for the Neighbor," published in the conservative news agency Fars, stating that note also "discredited the image of the Imam." Shargh, referencing Article 504 of the Islamic Penal Code, noted that if anyone insults the founder of the Islamic Revolution and the current leader of the Islamic Republic in any way, they will be sentenced to imprisonment from six months to two years, mentioning the suspension of the Hayat-e-No newspaper, the arrest of Alireza Eshraghi, its editor-in-chief, and the trial of Hadi Khamenei, its managing director in 2002 based on this article of the Islamic Penal Code. This newspaper pointed out the silence of conservatives and their lack of opinion regarding the note of the Javan newspaper, while quoting Fazl Meybodi, a cleric close to reformists, stating: "If this type of writing were seen in reformist newspapers, it would lead to the closure of that newspaper," and "to say that if it were during the Imam's time, there would have been a harsher response is an accusation against the Imam and an insult to Islam. One must ask, are you sitting in the position of a judge to make such a judgment? What kind of language is this? These methods mean we are seeking to eliminate the rival at any cost." Ali Tajernia, a reformist figure, also pointed out the emergence of a current over the past decade that "outwardly" praises Ayatollah Khomeini but acts "contrary" to his methods, telling Shargh: "Now these individuals have shown their true face, and under various words and pretexts, they do not hesitate to insult the Imam." The newspaper Arman reported on "increased drunk driving" in Tehran, stating that on Tuesday, "on a day when a health ministry official announced the increase of alcohol withdrawal centers this year, the Tehran prosecutor provided statistics on cases of drunk drivers." This newspaper, while noting the prohibition and "haram" status of alcoholic beverages under Iranian law, reported that Abbas Jafari Dolat Abadi, the Tehran prosecutor, announced on Tuesday that "the number of drunk driving cases in Tehran in 2015 was 2,900," calling it "alarming" and stating that "during visits to the two courts of guidance and traffic, we encountered significant statistics on drunk driving and alcohol consumption that require analysis, review, and appropriate measures."