Iranian officials have urged citizens to reduce petrol consumption amid ongoing difficulties importing fuel caused by a U.S. naval blockade, according to statements made this week. The blockade, imposed by Washington in response to Tehran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz, has disrupted Iran’s ability to access sufficient fuel supplies to meet domestic demand.

On Tuesday, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of the Iranian parliament and a senior negotiator, addressed the public in a televised speech, emphasizing the need for gasoline conservation. He acknowledged that while some of the high fuel consumption stems from the population, a significant portion is attributable to industrial use. "We need to save gasoline in our consumption," Ghalibaf said, underscoring the shared responsibility across sectors.

The U.S. naval blockade restricts shipping through Iranian ports, impeding imports critical to energy supplies. Iran relies partly on imports to supplement domestic fuel production, which Iranian Vice President Mohammad Jafar Ghaempanah described last week as “insufficient.” He highlighted that the blockade is directly limiting Iran’s ability to bring in additional petrol.

The impact of the supply constraints has become visible in Tehran, where long queues of vehicles have formed at petrol stations in recent days, signaling growing public frustration. Iranian authorities have indicated ongoing efforts to manage the situation, including reconsidering fuel quotas. The president’s chief of staff previously announced that petrol rationing policies would be reviewed, though no specific changes have yet been detailed.

The developments mark a deepening of economic pressure on Iran amid heightened tensions in the Gulf region, where the Strait of Hormuz serves as a strategic maritime passage for a substantial portion of the world’s oil traffic. The standoff reflects escalating confrontations between Iran and the United States, with significant implications for regional and global energy markets.