TEHRAN (Iran News) –Secretary of Iranian Oil, Gas and Petrochemical Products Exporters’ Union (OPEX) Hamid Hosseini says Iraq and Afghanistan provide their required gasoline from Uzbekistan and Russia because it is with higher standards and for this reason the Taliban do not seek importing gasoline from Iran due to its low quality.
Hosseini said that it is for a while that Iraq and Afghanistan have turned to buy gasoline from Uzbekistan and Russia due to its good quality and these two countries have improved the standards for their imports. He added that the demand for high quality gasoline and products has been the main reason for Iran’s exported gasoline to Afghanistan and these two countries do not buy low quality goods any longer.
He went on to say that the exported gasoline to Afghanistan has not been the product of mother refinery and small refineries have produced it which is not in the standard level.
Hosseini added that with the increase in quality of exporting products of other countries have led to shrink of Iran’s exporting market while in the past even up to 90% of oi products exporting markets were in hands of Iran.
He added that with this change in taste and demand, the small refineries are unable to improve their quality of products because the Headquarters of the Iranian Anti-Smuggling Task Force have ordered the refineries that they should not produce any product similar to what is produced in the mother refineries.
He said small refineries produce low quality product and it is rejected by the domestic customers and therefore is exported. He said that small refineries should be granted the license for producing products with better quality like Euro3 gasoline and gasoil in order that the country does not face with fuel supply in the summer.
Hosseini noted that although Uzbekistan and Russia sell good quality gasoline, Afghan customers still demand Iran’s gasoline and they have accepted all consequences and costs and in some cases the exported product to Afghanistan is returned and it has nothing to do with Iranian exporter because he has sold his product and has taken its money.
