Since there is oil in Iran, there has been always a strong correlation between the structure of dictatorial power and oil. Not only government expenses, industry and services are heavily dependent on oil revenue, but also, on a larger scale, all repressive forces and institutions of dictatorial regimes rely on it. Oil production in Iran is not at all in the service of the country’s development, but mainly serves the interest of the corrupt ruling elite and, most importantly, the survival of their oppressive Islamist regime.
In the case of the IRI (Islamic Republic of Iran), oil is the greatest source of income for the state mafia and it enables the regime set up their repressive institutions, propaganda machine, thousands of plain clothes thugs to beat up angry people, apologists groups in the West, sell-away intellectuals from various factions, who propagate the regime’s legitimacy and its reformation from within, and terrorist groups to advance the regime’s agenda inside and outside the country. The regime also spends a part of this Iranian national resource to help the two Islamist terrorist groups, Hamas and Hezbollah, to prevent peaceful solutions in the region.
The U.N. Security Council resolutions and E.U. have already indicated the possibility of oil sanctions on the Iran, due to its nuclear ambitions and its strategy to export violence in the region. Added with them the ongoing brutalities after the recent electoral coup, the world must step up actions in a timely manner to impose sanction on Iran fuel supplies as the first step to shake off the regime. This action is now widely expected by both Iranians and the international community.
Although Iran is rich in oil resources and is the world’s fourth-largest oil exporter, Iran’s capacity to turn the resource into the gasoline and diesel fuel is limited and thus up to 40 percent of Iran’s gasoline is imported. Thanks to the IRI incompetence, the regime cannot expand refinery capacity to satisfy its domestic fuel requirements and thus heavily relies on imports.
The domestic consumption of gasoline is estimated 75 million litres a day, of which 36 million is imported from India. If the gasoline delivery is stopped, Iran’s domestic consummation, including that of the repressive machine of the regime, can be paralyzed within a week. Under such a situation, the heroic and able people of Iran can do the rest for making the regime history in Iran.
Besides the western oil companies like Royal Dutch Shell, French Total, Swiss Vitol, and British Petroleum: Indian large industry group ( Indian Reliance ) is another main partner of the Mullahs’ regime. The group is the long-standing culprit and buddies of Islamist regime. It supplies a great part of the needed gasoline, which helps the Mullah regime survive: it imports Iranian crude-oil, and exports refined gasoline to Iran.
The Group’s activities span exploration and production of oil and gas, petroleum refining and petrochemicals. Indian suppliers are the other constant partners of the IRI. According to official resources, Indian crude oil imports are circa 75% to meet its oil requirements. The cheap oil price, it is believed that Iranian oil is sold by mullahs below market, will sufficiently reduce costs for refinery. Essar Oil, an Indian oil company, has now green light from Mullahs to import as much crude oil as desires from Iran. The company sells a part of the refined oil as gasoline with much higher price to Iran, what covers the purchase price.
In solidarity with the brave Iranian people’s struggle against the illegitimate regime of coup d’état and by stopping any oil trade with the IRI, India as the biggest democracy of the world, can play an honourable role by not playing bedfellow with the brutal Mullahs.
The oppressed Iranian people cannot expect the reminders of totalitarian regimes like Russian and Chinese states to stop trades with the totalitarian IRI. Instead, the free world and in its top the biggest democracy, India, are largely expected to show solidarity with the oppressed Iranian people. India can do its own reputation and the longing of the freedom-loving Iranian people a world of good by suspending its oil trade with the IRI and consequently siding with Iranian people in their struggle against the totalitarian Islamist regime which is today challenging by an increasing majority of people.
