Official: Turkish oil tankers’ containers sealed in Iran

Tehran, Nov 17, IRNA – By sealing the containers of Turkish oil tankers none of that country’s drivers will be allowed to get fuel in Iranian gas stations, Head of Roads and Road Transportations Organization Davoud Keshavarzian said here Sunday. “It has been decided to seal the Turkish oil tankers’ containers within the next two weeks and the Turkish side will suffer greater loss in this move that they began,” said Keshavarzian in a press conference. The deputy roads and rural development minister said that the move is not in line with Iran’s expansion policy of comprehensive ties with Turkey, but after studying various approaches it was decided to do so. “Earlier the Turkish side was not delivering fuel to the Iranian oil tanker drivers in return for the taxes that they got from them, but in Iran the Turkish drivers were receiving fuel in return for the tax they paid,” he elaborated. Keshavarzian said that this had led to lowering the number of Iranian oil tankers in Turkey, while the Turkish tankers’ number in Iran has not decreased yet. “It is every government’s natural right to resort to possible method to create balance in such conditions, which is why the Islamic Republic by refusing to deliver fuel to the Turkish tankers intends to observe justice respectively,” he said. He said that the Iranian oil tankers’ share of the regional fuel transportations has not decreased due to the new policy adopted by Turkey, and even increased, but the Turkish tankers’ drivers will thus lose. In early October 2014 Turkey began receiving 50 Euros from the Iranian oil tanker drivers for driving each 100 kilometers, followed by Iran’s increasing of its 25 Euro per each 100 kilometers to 50 Euros, but then the Iranian tankers received no fuel for the tax they paid, while the Turks did so in Iran. “That is why after intensive surveys we decided to seal the containers of the Turkish oil tankers within the next two weeks, but we hope the Turkish officials will revise their policies in that respect,” he said./end