Shafaq News- Duhok
Drivers in Iraq’s Duhok province faced hours-long waits for subsidized gasoline on Sunday, with more than 800 vehicles lining up at a single fuel station as persistent shortages continued to disrupt supplies.
Several drivers told Shafaq News they had begun queuing the
previous day, but fuel distribution at several stations had still not started
by midday. Some stayed in their vehicles throughout the wait, while others
spread blankets along the roadside and slept as they waited for their turn.
Saleh Mohammed joined the queue on Saturday night, briefly leaving his vehicle before returning early Sunday morning to hold his place. By midday, he was still waiting, with fuel distribution yet to begin.
Such delays have become an exhausting part of securing subsidized gasoline. Mohammed said the time needed to obtain fuel can vary widely, with the process sometimes taking five, six or even seven hours, while on other occasions the wait is considerably shorter.
Baghdad and several other Iraqi provinces have faced renewed shortages of gasoline and gasoil, which is widely used by larger vehicles. The Oil Ministry had previously attributed the shortages to delayed shipments as the Iran-US conflict disrupted tanker movements, compounding a gap between domestic production and consumption. It announced that new shipments would arrive soon, putting daily gasoline consumption at about 33 million liters, rising to around 38 million during periods of heightened demand.