Armenian Drivers Spend Nights at the Border: Situation at the Agarak Checkpoint

Drivers of foreign-registered vehicles are being forced to fill their tanks at the border at several times higher prices, despite the low fuel costs in Iran.

The sharp increase in diesel fuel prices for foreign-registered trucks at the Iranian customs has posed a serious problem for Armenian drivers. Sputnik Armenia had previously reported that drivers of Armenian freight trucks had blocked the road leading to the 'Agarak' checkpoint.

According to current regulations, Armenian freight trucks enter Iran with empty tanks, which must be filled upon return. However, in recent days, the fuel prices at the customs have skyrocketed.

One driver stated that if they buy diesel fuel on Iranian territory, they pay 2,000 drams for a 20-liter container, but at the customs refueling station, the prices have recently reached 9,000 drams (it was previously 7,500-7,800 drams, and even cheaper before that). This is particularly problematic since the average capacity of a freight truck's tank is around 500 liters.

The situation has forced Armenian drivers to spend several days at the border, hoping for a resolution to the issue. More than 100 freight trucks have piled up at the border.

Another driver reported that he returned to Armenia, leaving his truck in an Iranian parking lot. He spent 8 days at the border but decided to return home due to the long queue.

The man noted that he does not know the number of Armenian freight trucks that have accumulated at the border, as there are two parking lots located 25 kilometers apart. In one of them, according to the electronic queue, there were over 430 freight trucks ahead of him.

'Just 2 years ago, the parties agreed that fuel prices at the customs would be stable at 6,000 drams per 'canister.' Then the price increased, initially to 7,700-7,800, and now to 9,300-9,700, up to 10,000 drams depending on the cargo,' said the interviewee, noting that the customs staff do not find even the manufacturer's specified capacity on the tank satisfactory.