Energy Optimization Chief Warns of Gasoline Supply Problems: Some Fuel Stations Could Go Dark if the Current Pattern Continues

Saqab Esfahani, head of the Energy Optimization and Management Organization, said in remarks published on Friday 13 November 2026 (22 Aban 1405) that the country has a "supply problem" with gasoline and that, if consumption keeps its earlier pattern, some fuel stations could shut down. He said the stations' own fuel cards have for now been collected in some provinces, so drivers can no longer rely on them for refuelling along the way as before and must use the quota on their personal fuel card.

Esfahani said the first gasoline quota can be stored for up to three months, and that anyone planning a trip must work out distance and route in advance and set the needed fuel aside. A vice president had earlier said personal fuel cards work nationwide but that no extra capacity has been set aside for gasoline supply. The remarks were reported by Entekhab, and no figure for the number of stations affected had been published at the time of writing.