
Internet disrupted in Iran amid fuel protests in multiple cities - kpennell
https://netblocks.org/reports/internet-disrupted-in-iran-amid-fuel-protests-in-multiple-cities-pA25L18b
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varjag
It is not "disrupted amid protests" but shut down by Iranian government. Let's
call spade a spade.

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stunt
Apparently Iran is one of the cheapest (if not the cheapest) countries when it
comes to gasoline and utilities prices. Everything is subsidized in the
country! They are lucky that their economy hasn't collapsed already
considering it is a big country with 80m+ population.

And they have smuggling issues to neighboring countries for a long time.

> According to Iranian counter-smuggling authorities, 17 percent of daily fuel
> production equivalent to some 40 million liters (10.6 million US gallons)
> were being smuggled out of the country every day in 2009. This is while most
> of the smuggling concerns gasoline and diesel fuel, whereas Iran imports
> both of these to the tune of 30 million liters (7.9 million US gallons)
> every day. Smugglers are using "lakes of fuel", underground pipelines to
> neighboring countries and oil tankers.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Gasoline_Rationing_Plan_i...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Gasoline_Rationing_Plan_in_Iran)

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merricksb
Topic discussed 4 days ago on HN here:

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21554459](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21554459)

(This submission is of an article from 4-5 days ago, around the same time as
the other HN post, so it doesn't look like there's significant new info in
this one.)

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tyingq
I'd read in that the new fuel taxes were done to help the poor by funding
social programs. Apparently, though, the taxes were pretty stiff, raising the
overall price 50%.

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gbil
Just for context ([https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-
east-50444429](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-50444429))

What are the new measures?

Under the new fuel measures, each motorist is allowed to buy 60 litres (13
gallons) of petrol a month at 15,000 rials ($0.13; £0.10) a litre. Each
additional litre then costs 30,000 rials.

Previously, drivers were allowed up to 250 litres at 10,000 rials per litre,
AP reports.

~~~
Reason077
Reducing fossil fuel subsidies is absolutely the right thing to do. Air
pollution from vehicles is very severe in Iran's cities, and imposes a huge
health burden on the population.

Clean transport alternatives exist, and are becoming cheaper. But with fossil
fuels being subsidised to the point that they are sold below their
_production_ cost in Iran, let alone their market value or true environmental
cost, clean alternatives will always have trouble getting established.

It's just too bad the Iranian government feels the need to block discussion on
the internet, rather than use it to get the message out.

