According to Iran’s state broadcaster, Mohsen Paknejad made the remarks Sunday on the sidelines of a meeting of the government’s Economic Coordination Headquarters chaired by First Vice President Mohammadreza Aref.

Paknejad said Iran is paying significant costs for gasoline imports and stressed the importance of reaching an optimal level of consumption through better management and efficiency measures.

“Perhaps we can reduce gasoline import costs through optimized consumption and reach an efficient level without negatively affecting people’s welfare,” he said.