Iran fuel rationing sparks anger, pump stations burnt

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TEHRAN, June 27 (Reuters): Angry Iranian motorists queued for gasoline Wednesday hours after the world's fourth largest oil exporter imposed fuel rationing, sparking chaotic scenes and the torching of two pump stations in the capital.
Drivers raced to fill up their tanks late Tuesday after the Oil Ministry announced the delayed scheme would finally go ahead at midnight after months of confusion and conflicting statements, forming lines that stretched hundreds of meters.
One fuel station in Pounak, a poorer area of the capital, was set alight while another in eastern Tehran was partially burnt, two of its pumps completely destroyed by fire, witnesses said.
"Last night there were a lot of fights, people were furious due to the sudden decision," said a 55-year-old pump attendant, who asked for his name not to be used.
Those who missed the midnight deadline still faced long lines early Wednesday in a country where many see abundant and cheap fuel as a right, even after government in May hiked the liter price by 25 per cent to 1,000 rials (11 U.S. cents).
Despite its huge energy reserves, Iran lacks refining capacity and must import about 40 per cent of its gasoline, a sensitive issue when world powers have threatened new U.N. sanctions in a row with Tehran over its nuclear program.
"It is still crowded this morning because many people left last night without fuel," the attendant in northern Tehran said. As he spoke, scuffles broke out among some waiting car owners.
Iranian news agencies reported long queues for gasoline also in other cities in OPEC's number two oil producer.
Some lawmakers were urgently drafting a bill to stop rationing, the official IRNA news agency said, without saying how many they were.
Short of public transport, most people in Tehran rely on their own cars or taxis go get around in the congested streets of the sprawling city of 12 million people.
But fuel imports are a big burden on state coffers because all fuel, whether imported or domestically produced, is sold at heavily subsidized prices, encouraging waste and smuggling.
Private cars will get 100 liters of gasoline a month but less if they also burn compressed natural gas, state TV said Tuesday. Drivers have complained that the amount is too little.
"I'm 100 per cent against rationing, we are swimming in oil and all they do is just putting pressure on people," said another taxi driver, Hassan Mohammadi.
All gasoline is already sold using electronic "smart" cards, but some drivers have not received them. Officials say the cards will reduce the possibility of a black market in fuel.
The United States, which is leading efforts to isolate Iran over its nuclear plans, has said Iran's gasoline imports are a point of "leverage." Washington accuses Iran of seeking to build nuclear weapons, a charge Tehran denies.