Shafaq News- Baghdad

A worsening gasoline shortage has driven many Baghdad residents back to the black market, where fuel is selling at up to three times the official price, while long queues and empty stations continue to disrupt daily life despite Iraq being one of the region's largest oil producers.

Hours-long waits have become routine across the Iraqi capital and other provinces, with some stations running out of fuel before serving all waiting vehicles.

Speaking with Shafaq News, taxi driver Hassan Abdul Ali Hammadi recounted spending more than two hours in line at a fuel station only to see supplies run out before his turn. Unable to find gasoline elsewhere, he resorted to buying fuel from roadside vendors for about 5,000 Iraqi dinars (≈ $3.25) per one and a half liters.

Similar scenes have been reported across the capital, where some motorists said they spent the night inside their vehicles waiting for fuel deliveries at dawn as stations imposed limited sales amid growing congestion.

Driver Abdul Karim Lafta explained that he moved between several empty stations before waiting until morning to refuel. "I had no alternative because my work depends entirely on my car," he said.

Some consumers also warned that fuel purchased from unofficial sellers may be mixed with water or other substances, leading to repeated mechanical problems. One resident, Mousa Sahib, described how his vehicle began losing power after he bought gasoline from the black market when nearby stations ran dry.

The disruption has also increased transportation costs. Baghdad resident Wisan Ali said her daily commuting expenses doubled from 5,000 dinars to 10,000 dinars as fuel became harder to obtain. "I don't argue with the drivers because I know how difficult it is for them to get gasoline," she remarked.

The Oil Ministry had attributed the shortfall in gasoline supplies to regional developments and the withdrawal of a foreign company from a key project at southern refineries, resulting in the loss of between 4 million and 5 million liters of high-octane gasoline per day.

The explanation came days after ministry spokesperson Abdul-Sahib Bazzoun Al-Hassnawi dismissed reports of a gasoline shortage and attributed congestion at fuel stations to rising fuel consumption amid soaring temperatures. The ministry later removed him from the post and appointed Salim Farhoud Hussein, director of the Economic Studies Department, as its new spokesperson, who stressed that the gasoline crisis remained a top-priority issue and that the ministry was mobilizing its resources and affiliated bodies to address the situation at fuel stations.

To safeguard energy supplies, Iraq's High Commission for Human Rights (IHCHR) called on authorities to strengthen domestic production and expand refining capacity.

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