Restarting the Iran ping. On or off ping list.
One of the biggest oil exporters in the region, a commodity the cost of which continues to rise, and they can’t balance their budgets? Apparently they’re using their petro-dollars to light their Cuban cigars.
I wonder how long it will take the Mullahs to blame the US for this problem... Two hours, one hour and 59 minutes, one hour and 58...
Many excellent observations in posts on other threads. Lots of irony, real deal.
Nobody likes a long line at the gas pumps... remember the ‘70’s? (Do I date myself on this or what?)
I would dearly love to see a “French Revolution” pop up in Iran........Maybe this petrol rationing will be their version of “Let them eat cake!”..........
Bangkok Post? next time use an American Source - I am sure this is being abundantly reported in the states (/ sarcasm off)
Millions spent on uranium enrichment to make bombs and they can’t build one or two refineries to serve their own populace? So what do the people do? Burn down gas stations and loot and rob...smart, real smart.
Burning gas stations. . .yeah, that'll ease the rationing. :::eye roll:::
That’s about 25 gallons a month. I can’t believe Iranians are driving 30 miles round trip a day. They must be reselling the almost-free gasoline to smugglers (who then move it out of the country for resale), and this rationing is cutting into their income.
They make the South-Central LA thugs look intelligent.
Seems like now would be a perfect time for a series of unfortunate accidents to happen at the 3 Iranian refineries. Hint, Hint.
How long before the Global Warming Alarmists applaud Ahmanutjob for his action to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions in Iran ?
Sheryl Crow and Leonardo DiCaprio are probably readying their public fawning now.
I guess we don’t need to worry, these fools will do themselves. Now, all they need is a small push, say a few M-16s, an set back and watch the fun........
Couldn’t happen to a “nicer” guy like Ahmanutjob.
By Ben Quinn
The Telegraph (UK)
Last Updated: 11:30am BST 27/06/2007
Angry Iranians have torched petrol stations in protests against the sudden imposition of fuel rationing in one of the world’s most oil rich nations.
The rationing was announced on Tuesday only three hours before it was due to begin at midnight, leading to long queues at service stations as Iranians rushed out to fill up before the clampdown kicked in.
In the capital, youths set a car and petrol pumps ablaze at a station in the residential Pounak area of northwestern Tehran, throwing stones and shouting angry slogans denouncing President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who came to power in an election based largely on his promises to improve the Islamic republic’s faltering economy.
He has been facing growing criticisms over his economic policies, which a group of economists claimed earlier this month were fuelling inflation and hurting the poor.
The Iranian government had been planning for weeks to implement rationing, which was supposed to begin May 21, but has repeatedly held off from making the move.
In a country where citizens are used to having cheap and plentiful gas the issue is a sensitive one.
Lines of more than a half a mile long snaked out of some stations in Tehran, while riot police were in some streets to disperse the demonstrators.
Iran has to import more than 50 percent of its petrol needs because of its low refining capability, despite being the second biggest exporter in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
To make matters worse, consumers are being forced to use smart cards to keep track of their purchases but problems in distributing the cards have delayed implementation of the plan, while pumping petrol into vehicles is only possible when the smart card is inserted into the pumping machine.
Petrol sales have been subsidised by the government in an attempt to keep prices low.
Under the new rationing system, owners of private cars can buy only 100 litres (26 gallons) per month at the subsidised price of 1,000 Rials per litre (£0.19) while taxi-owners can purchase 800 litres (211 gallons) a month.
Unrest on the streets has also been played out politically in Iran’s parliament, where conservatives have been pushing for higher petrol prices in the hope of cutting back on demand in order to allow for money to be invested in the oil and gas production sector.
President Ahmadinejad has been resisting allowing increases because of his campaign promises to share Iran’s oil wealth with lower income groups and has also fought off efforts by parliament to reverse a 2005 decision to suspend a law stating that petrol prices must increase 10 percent every year.
However, he has been repeatedly criticised by the Iranian press for stoking already high inflation with high spending and promising lavish local investment projects on visits to the country’s regions.
The beginning of the end for the mullahs. I believe it was Hannity where I heard some intelligence analyst saying one of the best ways to take them down is for a fuel shortage to occur.