According to the Union of Iranian Oil, Natural Gas and Petrochemical Exporters, at the request of the Taliban, the delivery of gasoline and gas oil from Iran to Afghanistan has been resumed.
“The Taliban sent a message to Iran saying,’You can continue to export petroleum products’,” Reuters quoted Hamid Husseini, a board member and spokesperson of the Iranian trade union in Tehran, as saying.
The official added that as the Taliban seized control of the Afghan capital of Kabul, Iranian traders have been cautious about the security concerns of the ongoing war tensions.
The Taliban’s takeover caused a nationwide panic among Afghans who chose to drive out of the city for fear of retaliation and a quick return to stricter Islamic laws. The massive outflow caused the price of fuel to rise sharply, reaching US$900 per ton of gasoline.
In order to curb fuel prices, the new Taliban government requires Tehran to keep its borders open to traders. They also reduced tariffs on fuel imported from the Islamic Republic by 70%.
The sales of gasoline and gas oil constitute the bulk of Iran’s exports to Afghanistan. According to the latest data from PetroView, Iran’s oil and gas research and consulting platform, Iran has shipped about 400,000 tons of fuel to neighboring countries in the 12 months to May 2021.
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