Iranian fuel rationing sparks violent protests

Angry Iranian youths torched gasoline stations in Tehran and long queues formed at fuel pumps after the government announced the start of fuel rationing, triggering countrywide protests yesterday.

Youths set a car and gasoline pumps ablaze at a service station in the residential Pounak area of northwestern Tehran, throwing stones and shouting angry slogans denouncing Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

After the announcement of the rationing plan in the energy-rich country -- which affects both private cars and taxis -- long lines started appearing at fuel pumps in Tehran and in the countryside.

Ahmadinejad has already come under fire over his economic policies, which a group of economists complained earlier this month were fueling inflation and hurting the poor.

Iran, OPEC's No. 2 oil producer, announced on Tuesday that its long-awaited plan to ration gasoline was coming into force at midnight, a move the government said is aimed at reducing colossal state gasoline subsidies.

"From midnight tonight gasoline for all vehicles and motorcycles will be rationed," state TV said, quoting an oil ministry statement.

It said private cars using just gasoline would be rationed to 100 liters of gasoline a month while those using gasoline and compressed natural gas would only be allowed 30 liters.

The government said the rationing would continue for four months and might be extended further to six months.

Separate quotas were also introduced for municipal yellow taxis and privately-run taxis, both essential means of transport in Iran.

"One car ... was burnt inside the gasoline station which was partially on fire," a journalist at the scene in Pounak said. "The demonstrators were throwing stones. Anti-riot police deployed in the neighboring streets intervened regularly to disperse the demonstrators before pulling back."

An Iranian journalist said that another gasoline station in southern Tehran also came under attack.

Iran launched the first phase of the rationing plan two weeks ago, initially targeting only government vehicles.

The significance of the rationing law was only expected to be realized when it was enforced on private car owners, forcing Iranians to pay a higher price for a commodity that now costs less than a comparable amount of mineral water.