TEHRAN, Oct. 26 (UPI) -- Iran announced plans to ramp up production capacity at its natural gas refineries to prepare for the possible impact of U.S. sanctions on gasoline supplies.
Iran said it would enact an urgent plan to buffer the impact of U.S. measures targeting Iranian gasoline. U.S. lawmakers sent a measure to President Barack Obama recently that prohibits companies selling fuel to Iran from U.S. government contracts.
Iran sits on some of the largest oil and gas reserves in the world. Shortfalls in refining capacity force the country to import 40 percent of its gasoline demands, however.
Iran under the latest measure plans to increase output at many of its refineries, the Fars News Agency reports.
The Fars report says Iran is forced to import gasoline because of the "lavish consumption of heavily subsidized fuel by Iranian drivers."
Tehran in June 2008 implemented a gas rationing system and in May called for restrictions on personal vehicle usage in what it said was an effort to alleviate traffic congestion.
Iran in August announced plans to increase production by an average 3.4 million gallons per day.
