Farewell to 400 Toman Gasoline

The newspaper Jahan San'at has reported on the "farewell to 400 Toman gasoline" and the replacement of 700 Toman gasoline in the designated quotas. The newspaper emphasized that with a 50% reduction in gasoline prices, the eleventh government no longer has legal permission to increase gasoline prices, as otherwise, the price of gasoline in the Persian Gulf market would be significantly cheaper than the gasoline sold inside Iran. The newspaper Shargh described "protecting the rights of the people" as the "key to the upcoming elections" in the eleventh government, stating that Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, the Minister of Interior, said at a specialized conference for political, security, and social deputies of provincial governors across the country that "the key to the upcoming elections in the Ministry of Interior is aimed at protecting the rights of the people and ensuring the precise implementation of the law and our behaviors from now on." Dariush Ghanbari, a former member of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, reacted to the Minister's statements, saying: "The rights of the people must be considered from two aspects: one is the rights of individuals who are candidates, which must be taken into account, and the other is the rights of the people, who must have the opportunity to choose all preferences at the ballot box." The newspaper Etemad referred to Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli as the "conservative minister" of Hassan Rouhani's government, stating that he announced on Tuesday that "ensuring the rights of the people" is the "most important" and "only" program of the Ministry of Interior in the upcoming elections for the Islamic Consultative Assembly and the Assembly of Experts. However, the newspaper Javan described the Minister's statements as "Rahmani Fazli's reaction to pressures regarding the appointment of problematic individuals to the political deputy of the Ministry of Interior" and quoted him as saying: "We will not spend our credibility on any individual or political group." At the same time, the newspaper Etemad published opinions from several political activists about the obstacles facing reformists in the upcoming elections, quoting Sadegh Zibakalam as saying: "The biggest obstacle facing reformists until the next parliamentary elections is the issue of qualifications approval." Ahmad Shirzad, a reformist political activist, stated: "The most significant obstacle for reformists until the next tenth parliament elections is the possibility of legally conducting electoral activities." Mohammad Reza Rahchamani, the Secretary-General of the Unity and National Cohesion Party, also mentioned the "unequal opportunities" for reformists to compete electorally with conservatives as the biggest obstacle. The newspaper Qanoon dedicated its front-page photo to Tahmineh Milani and reported that several newspapers published reports about the summons of this filmmaker to the Court of Culture and Media. The newspaper Qanoon noted that on Tuesday, Tahmineh Milani was summoned to the Court of Culture and Media, adding that the news became even stranger when Milani stated in an interview with Qanoon that the reason for her summons by the Court of Culture and Media was the publication of the book "Shahrzad, the Woman of a Thousand and One Nights." Tahmineh Milani emphasized that she was "astonished" by her summons due to the publication of the screenplay of Shahrzad, which "has all the necessary permits," saying: "This book should be awarded, not that after three years of running around for its author, a summons arrives." Saadollah Zare'i, in the editorial of the newspaper Kayhan titled "Frontline Breakers and Heritage Seekers," once again attacked Ali Motahari for insisting on the illegality of the house arrest of Mir Hossein Mousavi, Mehdi Karroubi, and Zahra Rahnavard, as well as Motahari's interjection speech on Sunday, writing: "Some have assumed that our people are backward and cannot distinguish between father and son; when even Hossein Ali Montazeri could not disrupt the revolution, what can the deviant children of great fathers whose blood guarantees the authenticity of the revolution do?" The newspaper Shahrood published a report on the "aftershocks of Ali Motahari's controversial speech," stating that Zero Naeimi-Raz, a representative from Astara and spokesperson for the conservative faction of the Parliament, reported that "over 50 representatives of the Parliament signed a complaint against Ali Motahari to the Supervisory Board on Representatives," but added: "Despite the fact that I am the one in conflict with Mr. Motahari, I did not sign this complaint." The newspaper Shahrood also quoted Mohammad Reza Moghim, the head of the Criminal Investigation Police, stating: "In the first 10 months of this year, embezzlement increased by 27%, collusion in government transactions by 20%, and land grabbing by 40%." The newspaper Kasb o Kar, citing the Secretary-General of the Central Bank, reported that "the average number of returned checks in the banking system has reached between 17,000 to 20,000 daily," which "last year during the same period averaged 14,000 checks, indicating a 41% increase in returned checks over the past year." This newspaper noted: "The upward trend in returned checks, especially this year, may be one of the signs of a persistent recession in Iran's economic environment." The newspaper Arman dedicated its front-page photo to Saeed Mortazavi and reported that Khalil Bahramian, one of the lawyers for the plaintiffs in the Social Security violations case, stated that they requested the temporary detention of Mortazavi due to the large number of defendants in this case and the risk of collusion. Farewell to 400 Toman gasoline, a 50% drop in global gasoline prices. The newspaper Jahan San'at reported on the "farewell to 400 Toman gasoline" and the replacement of 700 Toman gasoline in the designated quotas, stating that with a 50% reduction in gasoline prices, the eleventh government no longer has legal permission to increase gasoline prices, as otherwise, the price of gasoline in the Persian Gulf market would be significantly cheaper than the gasoline sold inside Iran. According to this newspaper, on Tuesday, Nasser Sajadi, the CEO of the National Iranian Oil Products Distribution Company, announced the cessation of 400 Toman gasoline supply at stations from the beginning of Bahman this year, stating that "with the conversion of 400 Toman gasoline to 700 Toman starting from the first of Bahman, the supply of 400 Toman gasoline will be halted." According to the CEO of the National Iranian Oil Products Distribution Company, with the cessation of 400 Toman gasoline supply from the first of Bahman, for every liter of 400 Toman gasoline, two liters of gasoline at the rate of 700 Toman will be charged to the fuel cards of vehicles and motorcycles. Nasser Sajadi also stated that "vehicle owners must refuel at fuel stations once in Bahman to implement this process and convert one liter of 400 Toman gasoline to two liters of 700 Toman gasoline in their fuel cards." The newspaper Jahan San'at pointed out that "it is still unclear on what law or regulation this new directive will be implemented," reminding readers of the decrease in global oil and gasoline prices, stating: "In 2009, during Ahmadinejad's government, when the subsidy reform law was being approved, the legislators probably never imagined that one day the price of gasoline abroad would drop this much." According to the subsidy reform law, the government must bring gasoline prices to 90% of the FOB price of the Persian Gulf by the end of the fifth development plan, which is next year, and now the newspaper Jahan San'at has written: "Even today, as you read this report, the price difference between gasoline in Iran and the FOB price of the Persian Gulf has reached between 50 to 150 Toman per liter, and according to the subsidy reform law, the government's hands are effectively tied for raising gasoline prices again." According to the newspaper Jahan San'at, the price of each barrel of super gasoline with an octane rating of 92 in the FOB Persian Gulf market has decreased to the range of 60 to 62 dollars, and considering that each barrel of gasoline FOB Persian Gulf is 159 liters and the bank dollar in the Iranian market is 2650 Toman, "the price of each liter of imported super gasoline with a high octane rating is estimated to be around 1200 to 1400 Toman." This newspaper pointed out that "currently, a significant portion of the gasoline supplied at Iranian fuel stations is distributed with an octane rating of 87," stating that the price of each liter of 87 octane gasoline in the FOB Persian Gulf market is equivalent to 1050 Toman, while the price of this gasoline in Iran is 1000 Toman, and the price of each liter of gasoline with an octane rating of 90 to 92 in the FOB Persian Gulf market is 1200 to 1400 Toman, while the price of similar gasoline in Iran is 1200 Toman. Jahan San'at emphasized that thus, "the gap between the price of gasoline supplied inside Iran and the gasoline offered in the global market has reached its lowest level in the past five years." According to this newspaper, "over the past seven months, the price of gasoline and diesel in the global market has experienced a decrease of more than 50%, and according to analyses from reputable international institutions, the decline in crude oil prices and subsequently petroleum products will continue in 2015," while "the government of prudence and hope previously presented the second phase of the subsidy reform law, offering each liter of semi-subsidized gasoline with an octane rating of 87 and 90 at prices of 700 and 800 Toman, and free gasoline with octane ratings of 87 and 90 at prices of 1000 and 1100 Toman at stations." Jahan San'at emphasized that given the "free fall of global oil and gasoline prices, the government cannot rely on further increases in the price of this popular petroleum product in the next year's budget bill, as otherwise, the price of gasoline in the Persian Gulf market will be significantly cheaper than the gasoline sold inside." The announcement of the Ministry of Interior's plans for the upcoming elections; "Protecting the rights of the people." The newspaper Shargh described "protecting the rights of the people" as the "key to the upcoming elections" in the eleventh government, stating that Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, the Minister of Interior, emphasized the importance of the upcoming parliamentary elections, saying: "The key to the upcoming elections in the Ministry of Interior is aimed at protecting the rights of the people and ensuring the precise implementation of the law and our behaviors from now on." According to this newspaper, Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli stressed that "in the government of prudence and hope, elections must be held completely legally, completely freely, and completely healthily and gloriously, and we as election executors must understand that we bear the responsibility of protecting the rights of the people." Dariush Ghanbari, a former member of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, reacted to the Minister's statements in an interview with Shargh, emphasizing the need to respect the rights of voters and candidates, stating: "The rights of the people must be considered from two aspects: one is the rights of individuals who are candidates, which must be taken into account, and the other is the rights of the people, who must have the opportunity to choose all preferences at the ballot box." The newspaper Shargh quoted Dariush Ghanbari as saying: "When the preparations for an election are legally observed, the rights of the people are respected; that is, in the review of qualifications, the rights of the people should not be overlooked," but "in the case of arbitrary disqualifications, the rights of voters are ignored." Dariush Ghanbari also stated: "The people's votes being the rights of the people means protecting the public votes, which is explicitly stated in the necessity of this issue in the Constitution," and in this regard, necessary measures must be taken at the stage of execution, supervision, and counting of votes, ensuring that no violations occur, and since "the Ministry of Interior is responsible for conducting elections and has a significant role in the health of elections, although other institutions also play roles, the role of this ministry in the health of elections is unparalleled." The newspaper Etemad also reported on its front page that Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli announced on Tuesday that "ensuring the rights of the people" is the most important program of the Ministry of Interior in the upcoming elections for the Islamic Consultative Assembly and the Assembly of Experts. According to this newspaper, while on Tuesday during the specialized conference for the political deputies of governors, the empty chair of the political deputy of the Ministry of Interior was particularly noticeable, Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli stated that "in the government of prudence and hope, elections must be held completely legally, completely freely, and completely healthily and gloriously, and we as election executors must understand that we bear the responsibility of protecting the rights of the people and should not undertake any action or activity that would undermine public trust and create doubts and ambiguities among political activists." The Minister of Interior of Hassan Rouhani's government emphasized that "in my opinion, elections have already begun, and we must not undertake any work or action that would lead to suspicion and partisanship," stating: "Partisanship for a specific political group or current should not be our concern at all, as we owe no one anything, and although we have our own thoughts, in the realm of work and trustworthiness regarding the rights of the people and the implementation of the law, we owe nothing to anyone, and anyone who considers themselves indebted to anyone and acts in a way that seeks to influence the electoral process will be held accountable for this in the afterlife, and if I become aware of such matters in this world, I will not let that person go." The newspaper Etemad referred to Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli as the "conservative minister" of Hassan Rouhani's government and noted that the most important focus of his remarks at the conference for the political deputies of governors was on "recognizing the people's votes as the rights of the people." This newspaper described the conference for the political deputies of governors on Tuesday as the ringing of the "bell" for elections, stating that in this conference "warnings were given, a roadmap was outlined, and a minister who previously shied away from political work initiated the electoral and political process in his ministry," while the electoral roadmap of the Ministry of Interior "has only one strategy, which is to recognize the people's votes as the rights of the people." However, the newspaper Javan described the Minister's statements at the conference for the political deputies of governors as "Rahmani Fazli's reaction to pressures regarding the appointment of problematic individuals to the political deputy of the Ministry of Interior" and quoted him as saying: "We will not spend our credibility on any individual or political group." This newspaper noted that the political deputy, as "the most important deputy in the Ministry of Interior, seven months after the elections, is still vacant."