RoydadNaft –  Speaker of Iran’s Parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf stated on Tuesday that the legislature has delegated all decision-making authority on fuel pricing to the executive branch, stressing that any government move to adjust gasoline or diesel prices – including the recent three-tier pricing plan – falls squarely within its legal powers.

Speaking at a press conference, Ghalibaf said parliament has no objection to the government’s decisions on fuel pricing and will cooperate where possible. He noted, however, that one technical flaw was identified in the latest cabinet decree on gasoline pricing, which has already been referred to the parliamentary Committee on Reconciliation of Regulations and formally notified to the government for correction.

On the prospect of raising ordinary gasoline prices from the current subsidized rate of around 3,000 tomans per litre to between 3,000 and 5,000 tomans, Ghalibaf remarked: “In my view, a change in this range will neither significantly curb smuggling nor reduce consumption, but it is the government’s decision.”

Turning to Tehran’s chronic air pollution crisis, the parliament speaker insisted the problem is “fully controllable” and does not require astronomical investment. He pointed to Beijing’s successful clean-air campaign over the past decade as proof that rapid improvement is achievable.

Ghalibaf reiterated long-standing data showing that 82 percent of Tehran’s air pollution comes from mobile sources – primarily ageing vehicles, high-fuel-consumption trucks that burn up to 40 litres of diesel per 100 kilometres, sub-standard cars, and millions of carburettor motorcycles.

He announced that he has tasked the parliament’s Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources Committee with conducting an in-depth new investigation and delivering a comprehensive report so the Majlis can fully exercise its oversight role on the issue.