Brig. Gen. Ahmadreza Radan made the remarks Tuesday, Nov. 27, at a conference on preventing and combating the smuggling of petroleum products, held at the Research Institute of Petroleum Industry. He said fuel smuggling is “one of the most fundamental” forms of commodity smuggling. “If all efforts focus on this area, they will not be wasted,” he said. “Fighting fuel smuggling is effective and fruitful.”

Radan said coordinated action among police, the Oil Ministry, the Roads Ministry, the Agriculture Ministry, the judiciary and the anti-smuggling headquarters would strengthen Iran’s ability to counter fuel smuggling. “If we do not have a scheduled plan for these actions from today, our efforts will not be effective,” he said.

‘We cannot say we are responsible but not accountable’

Radan said that “with good intentions,” some officials sometimes create conditions that unintentionally encourage smuggling, especially in the fuel sector. He questioned why fuel allocations remain unchanged in regions with low rainfall and limited agricultural activity. He also asked why inactive or semi-active mines still receive full fuel quotas.

He said fuel smuggling offers high profit with minimal effort. “Some truck drivers, instead of enduring the hardship of the road, heat and cold, simply sell their allocated fuel and earn more than they would through transportation work,” he said. “This is a bitter reality.”

Radan warned that without a unified, scientific, well-timed plan among all agencies, Iran will not succeed in combating fuel smuggling. “We cannot say we are responsible but not accountable,” he said. “We cannot claim the issue has passed us on to someone else. We are responsible before the blood of the martyrs.”

 Combating fuel smuggling requires all organizations

Radan said smugglers profit so heavily that they even attempt to run over security officers with vehicles. “If we do not change our approach and shift from mere confrontation to prevention, our efforts will fail,” he said. Collaboration beyond the police and the Oil Ministry is essential, he added.

He recounted asking officials in one province why agricultural fuel quotas remained unchanged despite severe drops in rainfall. An official told him it was done “to help the farmers.” Radan said he responded that the Oil Ministry should provide such support directly and transparently instead of letting subsidized fuel leak into smuggling networks. “National wealth should not be wasted, nor should a respectable farmer be pushed toward wrongdoing,” he said.

Although some progress has been made, Radan called it “painful” that Iran imports 5 million liters of fuel daily, subsidizes it, and then sees it smuggled out again. He said some smugglers add 10 million liters more and take it across the border. “In many countries, such conditions do not exist,” he said, noting that even Iranian trucks entering foreign countries are inspected to ensure they only carry enough fuel for domestic travel within that country.

 ‘When smuggling pays several times more, why work?’

Radan said Iranian bus drivers sometimes travel with fuel tanks filled more than 50% beyond legal capacity. “Are these buses planning to cross continents? What is all this fuel for?” he asked. He said a significant portion is siphoned off and sold illegally, creating safety hazards for passengers.

He said the profits from smuggling are so large that new regulations often face resistance from networks that incite people to oppose enforcement. Recently, he said, the judiciary fined one smuggling network nearly 11 trillion rials, and “shockingly, the entire amount was paid within two hours.” This, he said, shows the enormous illicit profits accumulated over years.

Radan described a case where smugglers in a village had laid kilometers of underground pipes and cables and installed pumps, generators and other equipment to create a professional fuel-transfer network to the seashore, essentially building an unofficial fuel-distribution company. When authorities moved to dismantle it, some accused them of targeting the poor. “But behind the cameras,” he said, “you will see palaces built from smuggling money.” A person who builds such a mansion, he added, “will not return to farming or fishing,” because he can earn many times more through smuggling.

 ‘How can national wealth fall into the hands of profiteers?’

Radan said police operations must target the real organizers, not low-level couriers. “Our goal is not to go after someone carrying a bolt of fabric or a small appliance,” he said. “We are confronting those who exploit poor porters for their own unlawful gains.”

He said some individuals should receive direct financial support instead of fuel quotas that end up feeding smuggling networks. He said he was personally willing to raise the matter with the oil minister to ensure such aid is provided “cleanly and transparently.” Allowing national wealth to be diverted to profiteers, he said, while poor citizens struggle, is unacceptable.

Radan also referenced the killing of a senior fuel-smuggling enforcement officer in Bandar Abbas. “On one side, we have those who sacrifice their lives confronting fuel smugglers, and on the other, we have predators attacking the lives, property and national wealth of the people,” he said. Weakening Iran’s energy sector, he added, is one of the aims of Iran’s adversaries — and fuel smuggling contributes to that vulnerability.

 ‘One of the enemy’s plans is to weaken us in the energy sector’

Radan said fuel quotas must be allocated precisely and, if necessary, fuel pricing should be liberalized while compensating citizens with cash payments. This method, he said, would reduce risks and curb corruption. Farmers should receive their true fuel needs, and cash subsidies would prevent smuggling and ensure national resources are used properly.

He said the Supreme Leader has stressed the need to intensify anti-smuggling efforts. Unlike in the past, he said, agencies have stopped blaming one another and have begun working together. A central headquarters for fuel-smuggling prevention has been established, and its results are visible.

He said more than 360 million liters of smuggled fuel have been physically seized over the past seven months and handed over to the judiciary. “If we solve the fuel problem, we will not need to chase dozens of related issues,” he said, because many stem from this single challenge.

 Iran could export 10m liters of diesel daily — if…

Radan said one provincial governor reported that despite a 40% reduction in fuel cards issued in a certain sector, fuel allocation levels remained high — a sign that the current system needs major revision. GPS devices on some vehicles are now ineffective, he added, because smugglers remove them and install them on other cars to falsify mileage records. He said Iran must move toward a connected-vehicle system, which is already under development and could resolve many weaknesses.

Radan said recent enforcement efforts have enabled Iran to stop importing 4 to 5 million liters of diesel per day. “With more precise planning, we can export 10 million liters daily by the end of this year or next year,” he said. “We must make smuggling costly for offenders and protect the people’s wealth and national resources with a coordinated national approach.”