"TEHRAN -- Iran's ambitious plan to flood the market with synthetic petrol has been marred by ecological concerns. Tehran says it is becoming self-sufficient in petrol, in the hope of warding off the pain of further economic sanctions. But the effort has many detractors inside Iran, who say the method chosen - making petrol out of chemicals rather than crude oil - is uneconomic and environmentally unfriendly.

For the last five months, Iranian government officials have been saying the country is no longer reliant on petrol imports thanks to a development program launched two years ago to increase production and thereby cushion the country against a possible international ban on fuel sales."

Kaveh Sarafraz reports for Environment News Service February 11, 2011. [2]

SEE ALSO:

"Protesters Fill Streets of Tehran by the Thousands" (Los Angeles Times) [3]

"Iran Protests: Hundreds Of Thousands March, Tear Gas Fired" (AP/Huffington Post) [4]

"Iran's Fuel Blockade Strains Relations With Afghanistan, Prompts Protests" (Washington Post)
[5]
"Iran to Supply Armenia with Gasoline, Diesel Oil" (Fars News Agency) [6]

"Protesters Meet Resistance in Iran, Bahrain And Yemen" (Montreal Gazette) [7]

"Clinton Backs Protesters in Iran, Praises Egypt's Military" (Indo-Asian News Service) [8]