Energy Subsidies Must Go, But How?

Fossil fuel subsidies paid by the Iranian government are 21 times more than its direct subsidy payments, Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani said last week. 
According to Larijani, 9,000 trillion rials ($84.11 billion) in subsidies are paid annually in the energy sector, which shows that over the past eight years, the government has given both cash subsidies and energy subsidies, while the key goal of Targeted Subsidies Law of 2010 was to reduce fossil fuel subsidies and cut it to zero in five years.
As per the Targeted Subsidies Law, subsidies on food and energy were reduced and instead 455,000 rials ($4.2) were paid to each and every Iranian on a monthly basis. The plan has been retained, such that nearly 76 million or 95.21% of Iranians currently receive the monthly cash subsidy. 
Now, eight years into the law, not only have authorities failed to reduce these subsidies, but ...