DistantNews
Support us
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia /Energy & Infrastructure

Iraqi Fuel Crisis Deepens as Long Lines Spread Across the Country

From Asharq Al-Awsat · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Severe fuel shortages have forced motorists in Baghdad and many Iraqi provinces to wait for hours at gas stations, adding to problems with public services, electricity and salary payments.
  • Observers link the crisis to the war and tensions between Washington and Tehran, while sources close to the government allege possible manipulation inside the Oil Ministry.
  • The ministry cites increased demand, refinery failures and delays in imported shipments, while the oil minister says a temporary gasoline shortage is being addressed.

Long lines at gas stations are spreading across Iraq as a severe fuel shortage hits Baghdad, Kirkuk, Babil, Basra and most provinces of the Kurdistan Region. Some motorists have been forced to wait for hours for gasoline.

The shortage is adding pressure to citizens already facing deteriorating public services, fewer hours of electricity and delays in pension and public-sector salary payments. Repeated government promises to overcome the crisis have done little to ease public distrust.

is one of the consequences of the war and the ongoing state of tension between Washington and Tehran, and its negative repercussions for Iraq since the war began on February 28.

· ObserversThey describe the wider regional conflict and tensions as a cause of Iraq’s fuel crisis.

Observers describe the shortage as one consequence of the war and continuing tensions between Washington and Tehran, including the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and disruptions to much of Iraq’s oil exports and foreign imports. Successive Iraqi governments are also facing criticism for failing to build enough refineries to meet domestic demand, despite the country’s large oil reserves.

Sources close to Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s government have not ruled out “deliberate manipulation” inside the Oil Ministry. They connect the allegation to groups reportedly affected by arrests of senior ministry officials accused of stealing billions of dinars and dollars. Those arrested include former Deputy Oil Minister for Refining Affairs Adnan al-Jumaili, Deputy Oil Minister for Distribution Affairs Ali Maaraj al-Bahadli, and Oil Products Distribution Company Director General Hussein Talib Abboud.

deliberate manipulation

· Sources close to Ali al-Zaidi’s governmentThey raise the possibility that internal manipulation at the Oil Ministry is worsening the shortage.

The Oil Ministry gives a different explanation. It attributes the crisis to higher demand and daily gasoline consumption, technical failures that shut down production units at some refineries, and delays in imported fuel shipments caused by security tensions at ports and along regional transport routes.

Oil Minister Basim Mohammed al-Abadi insists petroleum products remain available. At a meeting with senior ministry officials, he said, “The temporary shortage of gasoline is being addressed,” and that additional shipments would arrive soon. He said consumption averages about 33 million liters a day and rises to roughly 38 million liters when citizens become concerned. The ministry, he added, is monitoring supply and distribution flows and taking measures to secure petroleum products.

The temporary shortage of gasoline is being addressed

· Basim Mohammed al-AbadiThe oil minister says the government is responding to the shortage and expects additional shipments.
About this summary

Originally published by Asharq Al-Awsat in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

More Stories

From Our Blog