In a nation long accustomed to subsidized fuel as a social compact between government and citizen, Iran has quietly shifted the terms of that arrangement — raising gasoline prices for its heaviest consumers as the weight of sanctions, inflation, and currency erosion narrows the space for easy choices. The tiered pricing strategy, targeting those who consume the most rather than all drivers equally, reflects a government trying to balance fiscal survival against the memory of past protests ignited by energy costs. It is a small but telling adjustment in a country where the price of fuel has nev