Mohammad-Sadeq Azimifar said that before the implementation of the three-tier gasoline pricing system, 43% of daily fuel purchases were made using station-issued cards, a practice that limited effective monitoring and analysis of consumption by different user groups. Under annual budget laws in recent years, use of station cards was supposed to decline significantly, but that goal was not met because there was no price difference between station cards and the second-tier quota on personal cards.

Azimifar said one of the main objectives of the government’s recent decision on gasoline prices was to increase the use of personal fuel cards in daily refueling. Over the past seven days since the plan took effect on Dec. 13, 2025, during which the price for station cards rose to 50,000 rials per liter, use of station cards fell by about 40% to an average of 26%, while the share of personal cards increased from 57% to 74%.

He also cited a 9 million-liter drop in fuel consumption over the past seven days compared with the average consumption in Azar. However, he said it was too early to draw firm conclusions about the impact of the new policy, noting that factors such as weather conditions — including snowfall, rain and severe cold — as well as a surge in refueling in the two days before the plan took effect, likely also contributed to the decline. He said the policy’s effect on consumption should be assessed over time and with consideration of multiple factors.