Financial Tribune - Demand for gasoline soared by 114% in the past few days as the government started easing coronavirus lockdowns, head of Iran Gas Station Owners Union said.

�Demand, which had plummeted (between March 15 and April 15) to less than 35 million liters/day due to the virus, has now reached 75 ml/d, the same volume used before the virus struck,� Homayoun Salehi was quoted as saying by ILNA.

Consumption is expected to rise further as the government suspended decades-old special traffic regulations in big cities like Tehran to encourage people to avoid public transport in which social distancing is not possible, he added.

Low-risk businesses in Iran reopened on April 12. A week later, the ban on intercity travel placed to curb coronavirus transmission was lifted and this too increased fuel consumption nationwide.