Baghdad. Long queues at fuel stations in Baghdad were reported on Saturday due to reduced petrol supplies in Iraq due to the Middle East war.
As regional hostilities have escalated recently, long lines have been reported outside government-run gas stations in Baghdad and other provinces.
Iraq's average daily consumption of gasoline is 33 million liters, but officials say demand has risen to 38 million due to shortages.
Regional events and ongoing conflicts are causing challenges for tanker movements, delaying their arrival at Iraqi ports, the Energy Ministry said.
The ministry urged citizens to buy only the amount of fuel they need and not rush to stock up, while Energy Minister Bassem Mohammed Khudair said he was addressing a "temporary shortage of petrol" and that new shipments would arrive soon to help stabilize supplies. Like other oil producers, Iraq has been greatly affected by the US-Iran conflict, which has blocked the Strait of Hormuz.
Before the war started last February, Iraq was producing about 4 million barrels per day and exporting an average of 3.4 million barrels through Hormuz, according to Janaiu.
After a significant decline, Iraqi oil exports rose to more than 2.2 million bpd in August, the ministry said. Last month, Iran's news agency IRNA reported that Tehran had allowed several Iraqi oil tankers to pass through Hormuz in the past six months.
National News Committee is the official news organization of Nepal.
