Iranian Vice President for Executive Affairs Mohammad Jafar Qaem-Panah said Thursday that the U.S. naval blockade of Iran’s ports is preventing the country from importing fuel, while domestic production is insufficient to meet demand.
اضافة اعلان
“Gasoline production is not sufficient, and because of the U.S. naval blockade, we cannot import it,” Qaem-Panah said, according to Iran’s official IRNA news agency.
Long lines of vehicles have formed outside fuel stations in recent days after the government announced a rationing plan that reduces fuel quotas that have been in place for years.
A sudden increase in gasoline prices in 2019 triggered protests across nearly 100 cities, including Tehran, leaving dozens of people dead.
Fuel prices in Iran, one of the world’s major oil producers, remain among the lowest globally.
Iran has been holding talks with Oman for weeks, while insisting that the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed unless Washington fulfills its commitments under a memorandum of understanding signed in mid-June, which notably calls for lifting the U.S. blockade and economic sanctions imposed on Tehran.
Hussein Mohabi, a spokesperson for Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, said that if the United States does not accept Iran’s conditions, the Strait of Hormuz will not be reopened under any circumstances. However, he said that if Washington abandons its obstruction and returns to the memorandum of understanding, the strait could be reopened.
“Therefore, it must accept our conditions,” he said.
On June 18, 2026, Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding on freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz as a step toward reaching a final agreement. Its implementation subsequently stalled over disagreements regarding the security of the strait.
Between July 8 and 24, the United States resumed attacks on Iran, while Tehran responded by targeting countries in the region, before talks resumed on establishing safe shipping corridors through the Strait of Hormuz.
The United States subsequently reimposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz following renewed clashes, which were described as the most intense since the ceasefire between the two sides took effect in April.
Iran has warned that the renewed naval blockade on its ports undermines the memorandum of understanding with Washington.
The war began on February 28, when Israel and the United States attacked Iran, prompting Tehran to close the Strait of Hormuz, which before the war served as the main waterway for nearly one-fifth of global energy supplies.
The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the main flashpoints in the conflict. Iran’s control over the strategic waterway has given Tehran significant leverage, effectively providing it with a powerful pressure tool.
AFP
