Iran has increased its gasoline stockpile to 2.4 billion litres, a news agency reported on Friday, a move aimed at making the country less vulnerable to US sanctions. The semi-official Mehr news agency said Iran had pumped 750 million litres into its gasoline reserves in the first 10 months of the Iranian year, which started in March.

"Iran's gasoline reserves have reached to more than 2.35 million litres. They were increased by 750 million litres since the start of the current (Iranian year)," Mehr reported. The US House of Representatives in December approved a bill to impose sanctions on foreign companies that help supply gasoline to Iran in hope of deterring Tehran from pursuing its disputed nuclear programme.

Copyright Reuters, 2010