"At present, 80% of gas stations can now supply gasoline at unsubsidized price, which is about 3,000 out of 3,700 stations in the country, " Spokesman of the National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company (NIORDC) Fatemeh Kahi told FNA on Wednesday.

She added that over 220 gas stations across Iran have also been enabled to deliver subsidized gasoline.

Also, Iranian Oil Minister Javad Oji said on Wednesday that over 3,000 gas stations across the country are delivering fuel to vehicles, apologizing to the Iranian people for the short disruption in the delivery system on Tuesday.

Meantime, field reports from gas stations across Iran said that most gas stations are returning to normal status following a brief outage caused by the cyberattack on Tuesday.

The teams dispatched by the oil ministry authorities to the forecourts have enabled offline fuel delivery at most gas stations.

Iran’s National Virtual Space Center also issued a statement confirming that a cyberattack had targeted the online fuel delivery system in the country.

“Related departments are working to fix the problem and fuel delivery services will return to normal within the next few hours,” said the statement.

Iran has been using an online system to ration subsidized fuel since November 2019 when the government ordered a series of price hikes for gasoline and diesel.

Under the system, motorists are entitled to 60 liters of gasoline per month at a price of 15,000 rials ($0.54).  

The system is aimed at optimizing the use of fuel in Iran and preventing its smuggling into neighboring countries where prices are much higher.

Iranian Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi on Tuesday dismissed reports that the government plans price hikes for gasoline.

He said motorists across the country will be able to fill up their tanks on the unsubsidized price of 30,000 rials per liter until gas stations are connected to the online fuel delivery system.

Details of the cyberattack are under investigation and further information will be released after a final conclusion is reached.

Earlier, Iranian Oil Ministry Spokesman Ali Forouzandeh said the refueling process had been interrupted due to disruption in the gas pumps that read the smart cards used to purchase rationed fuel.

He told reporters that people could still buy gas at unsubsidized rates.

The official added the National Iranian Oil Products Distribution Company had disconnected the smart distribution system after the disruption happened.

Meanwhile, a senior Iranian lawmaker said Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf had ordered an investigation into the case.