Ramezanali Sangdovini said fuel conservation has become unavoidable given current conditions. He said Iran's energy reserves position it to build a diverse energy portfolio for use across sectors, particularly transportation.

Sangdovini said reducing reliance on gasoline requires diversifying the country's energy sources, adding that alternative fuels could play a major role in that effort.

He noted Iran faces a gasoline shortfall of 10 million to 20 million liters. He said the country's near-total reliance on gasoline and compressed natural gas is limiting efforts to cut gasoline consumption. To close that gap, he said, officials must move quickly to develop alternative transportation fuels alongside gasoline and CNG.