The Iranian Oil, Gas and Petrochemical Exporters Union announced today, Monday, August 23rd, that the country has resumed exporting gasoline and diesel to Afghanistan a few days ago at the request of the Taliban.

The price of a ton of gasoline in Afghanistan reached $ 900 last week as many people fled the cities in fear of retaliation by Taliban militants.

Taliban militants took control of Kabul on Sunday, August 15, following the withdrawal of US and allied troops from Afghanistan.

To counter rising gasoline prices in Afghanistan, the Taliban have called on Iran to keep its borders open to traders. Fuel exports from Iran to Afghanistan were suspended on August 6.

Hamid Hosseini, a board member and spokesman for the Iranian union, told Reuters that the Taliban had sent messages to Iran saying that the country could continue to export its oil products.

Mr Hosseini also said that Iran's exports to Afghanistan began a few days ago, after the Taliban reduced tariffs on fuel imports from Iran by 70 percent.

Gasoline and diesel are Iran's main exports to Afghanistan. From May 2020 to May 2021, Tehran exported about 400,000 tons of fuel to its neighboring country, according to Petrovio, Iran's oil and gas research and consulting platform.

Ali Naghavi, CEO of the Iran Energy Exchange, stated: "Since 1992, there has been a discussion about the sale of products in the Iran Energy Exchange and its follow-ups have been done, but since 1997, products have been traded with more prosperity and significant volumes in the Iran Energy Exchange."

He added: "Oil, gas, gasoline, naphtha and liquefied petroleum gas are products that in recent years have accounted for more transactions in the Iranian energy exchange."

"The first transaction of gasoline in the Iran Energy Exchange was done in 1998," Naghavi said. "In total, more than two million tons of gasoline were traded in the Iran Energy Exchange in 1998, and this figure increased to eight million tons in 1999." کرد; The total sales of gasoline in 1998 in the Iranian Energy Exchange was more than 13 thousand and 500 billion tomans, which in 1999 reached 55 thousand billion tomans.

He continued: "All sales of gasoline in the Iranian Energy Exchange have been foreign sales and related to gasoline exports, which include offshore sales and land sales."

Regarding the amount of transactions of petroleum products through the Iranian Energy Exchange in 1400, Naghavi said: "Unfortunately, in 1400, the supply of petroleum products in the Iranian Energy Exchange was limited, so that a total of 69,500 tons of gasoline worth 855 billion tomans and 19,000 tons of diesel with The value of 230 billion tomans has been traded.

He continued: "Since the beginning of June, the supply of gasoline in the Iranian Energy Exchange, ie the export of gasoline, has stopped; Which the supplier has stated as the reason for the increase in domestic consumption; Personally, I believe that part of the gasoline, which is considered as domestic consumption, is currently being smuggled due to the lack of supply in the stock exchange mechanism and the needs of neighboring countries.

The CEO of Iran Energy Exchange stated: "Usually, due to the difference in gasoline prices between our country and neighboring countries, we have always had some gasoline smuggling. In the past two years, according to experts and relevant officials, gasoline smuggling has sharply decreased to nearly zero. ; Because all the needs of the surrounding countries were met through official exports and safe passage; But now that gasoline exports have stopped, it is not far-fetched to reactivate gasoline smuggling.

He added: "We have gained very good export markets in the region with the efforts of various institutions, and a sudden cessation of gasoline exports could lead to the loss of these export markets, and it will be much more difficult to regain these export markets than before."