TEHRAN, Sept. 15 (UPI) -- Gasoline production in Iran is moving ahead with a sense of urgency, the country's petroleum minister said from Tehran.
Sanctions imposed unilaterally by the United States and the European Union in July target the Iranian energy sector in an effort to persuade Iran to abandon its nuclear ambitions.
Iran was forced to rely on imports to meet a substantial portion of its energy needs. A development agenda outlined by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, however, put the country's focus on rebuilding the infrastructure in the energy sector.
Iranian Oil Minister Masoud Mir Kazemi said gasoline production rose from 11 million gallons per day to 17.5 million gallons per day in part because of increased production at facilities in the southern port city of Assaluyeh, the Oil Ministry's Petroenergy Information Network reports.
The minister suggested that there was still some need to examine imports in response to sanctions, though he accused international traders of resorting to "trickery" in the energy market.
Tehran is expected to consider whether to extend fuel rations on private drivers to curb consumption rates.
Iran holds some of the largest oil and gas deposits in the world, though poor refining capacity means the country had relied on imports to meet around 30 percent of domestic demand.
