- 2007 Iranian petrol rationing riots
Iranian petrol rationing riots started on
27 June 2007 when theIran ian government introduced petrol rationing. Iranians set fire to at least 12 filling stations inTehran , chanting that PresidentMahmoud Ahmadinejad must be killed. [cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6243644.stm|title=Iran fuel rations spark violence|publisher=BBC News]Private motorists have been rationed to 100 litres of petrol a month. Petrol currently sells at the heavily subsidised price of 1000 rials a litre (approx. €0.08 or US$0.11).
The Iranian government's reason for the rationing is to reduce Iran's vulnerability to potential sanctions by the
United Nations Security Council which would be in response to Iran's nuclear programme. Iran had been planning to ration petrol for a year prior, but had postponed the policy out of fear of unrest. TheIranian Parliament voted on May 7 to increase the price of petrol to $0.64, but Ahmadinejad decided to ration it instead. Iranian newspapers have been criticizing the decision, despite a warning prior to the start of the rationing to not report the riots. Iranian newspaper "Etemad Melli " criticized the decision, saying that it had overwhelmed public transportation, stranding people on the streets, and wondered if the Iranian government enjoys or benefits from causing such difficulties.cite news|url=http://www.iht.com/bin/print.php?id=6403091|title=Unrest grows amid gas rationing in Iran|publisher=International Herald Tribune ]Another Iranian newspaper, "
Seday-e-Edelat ", reported that five gallons of petrol sold for US$15 in the southeast regions on Iran on the black market.References
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* [http://www.turkishpress.com/news.asp?id=182836&s=&i=&t=Angry_protests_flare_in_Iran_over_petrol_rationing Angry protests flare in Iran over petrol rationing] (turkishpress.com)
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