Speaking on the sideline of holding a meeting with the speaker of Indonesia's Regional Representative Council Irman Gusman, Dr. Mirkazemi said that by start-up of new oil refineries’ development plans on the anniversary of Islamic Revolution  victory in February 2011 or before the end of current Iranian calendar year on 21 March 2011, Iran’s gasoline production capacity would rise by at least 10 million liters a day.

‘Currently our petrochemical plants are producing the domestically needed gasoline but gasoline production by the petrochemical plants has been reduced recently because of high level of inventories and maximum crude run by the oil refineries to produce oil products,’ Mirkazemi said.

He continued: ‘Iran’s petrochemical plants are producing 98 to 100 octane number gasoline with much better quality than imported ones.’

' The rumors on domestically produced gasoline and linking intensified air pollution to it is originating from abroad; West has lost the sanctions game and the false news on the cause of pollution is the last ring of unconsidered sanctions,’ Iran’s minister of petroleum noted.  

Mirkazemi went on to say that in the past the low octane gasoline produced by domestic oil refineries were blended with imported gasoline but by production of standard gasoline at domestic  petrochemical plants, the country no longer needs to import gasoline and faces no problem in this regard.

Iran’s minister of petroleum stipulated that by circulation the news on Iran’s self sufficiency in gasoline production, foreign outlets at first called it a bluff but later admitted the possibility of converting petrochemical plants’ production lines to gasoline production although adding Iran has not the knowledge to do that.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Mirkazemi pointed out that following gasoline production by Iran’s petrochemical plants and falling prices in the Persian Gulf region due to halting gasoline import, foreign media speculated that low quality gasoline produced by Iranian petrochemical plants has led to intensifying air pollution. 

 ‘Those who imposed sanctions against us thought that with would face gasoline shortages in October but now we are self sufficient and face no problem with meeting gasoline needs inside the country,’ the official told.

The minister of petroleum concluded that although the oil refineries have high levels of gasoline inventories they have put upgrading and rising production on the agenda.