Iran has the 3rd largest oil reserves in the world (after Saudi Arabia and Iraq). Iranians have long enjoyed very cheap petrol prices. They pay around 10cents a litre. But petrol in Tehran has now become rationed. Each car receives a petrol card you swipe at the pump that entitles you to 100 litres per month. Vans receive more and taxis receive 400 litres. But when you consider that many people in Tehran use their cars as taxis (it’s not regulated like it is in Australia, anyone can use their private vehicle to make some extra money), many people are now out of a job or that extra bit of income they relied on.

I guess this is why you now see people carrying plastic canisters and asking people at the pumps if they can spare a litre or two. This act has been dubbed “petrol begging”.

Somehow though petrol stations now are more crowded than they used to be. A whole black market in petrol shares has opened up, selling rights to petrol at 4 times the price. But to buy it you have to line up at the petrol station and ask people there since no one is going to part with their card.

Many cars are converting to gas (natural gas – CNG). You have to line up for at least 1 hour at the gas station (separate from the petrol stations) and one tank gives you around 150 kms.

I thought these measures were to reduce pollution but apparently the main aim is to reduce consumption so that Iran won’t have to eventually import petrol.

 (I’ll post a photo of the queues when I get a good one!)