Mohammad Rashidi said reforming the approach to fuel consumption management is now necessary. He noted that gasoline imbalances cannot be resolved through supply-side measures alone. While expanding refining capacity and ensuring stable product supply remain essential, factors such as steadily rising demand, an aging vehicle fleet, high fuel consumption per vehicle, underuse of alternative fuels, and fuel smuggling mean that consumption management must become the central pillar of policy.

He added that the Seventh Development Plan lays out a clear path for optimizing energy consumption and establishing the financial and executive mechanisms needed to support it. Among the key tools available is the newly formed Organization for Energy Optimization and Strategic Management, which should be put to operational use — financing conservation projects, developing a market for energy-saving certificates, and engaging the public and private sector in consumption reduction efforts.

Turning to the need for fuel basket diversification, Rashidi stressed that the transport fleet's extensive dependence on gasoline is one of the root causes of vulnerability to imbalance. He said the share of CNG, electricity, and other clean fuels in the transport fuel mix must be increased to ease pressure on gasoline consumption.

CNG, he noted, is a domestically available resource, and its effective use could cover a significant portion of gasoline consumption in public transport fleets and high-mileage vehicles.