Iraq raises daily gasoline supply to 40 million liters for Eid holiday

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s Oil Ministry has increased gasoline supply to 40 million liters per day to meet rising demand during the Eid al-Adha holiday period, a senior official said Saturday.

Hussein Talib, director general of the state-owned Oil Products Distribution Company, told the Iraqi News Agency the company had taken advance measures to secure strategic reserves of petroleum products and gas. Both premium and regular gasoline supplied to the domestic market are produced locally, he said, with available quantities sufficient to meet demand.

Fuel consumption rose during Eid al-Adha, which began Wednesday, due to higher levels of travel and movement by families across the country. The company normally supplies around 33 million liters of gasoline daily to the local market; over the past two days that figure has been raised to 40 million liters to maintain availability without disruptions.

Eid al-Adha is one of the two major Islamic holidays, commemorating the willingness of the Prophet Ibrahim to sacrifice his son in obedience to God before God provided a ram as a substitute. Families travel within and between governorates for holiday gatherings.

The Oil Ministry denied Wednesday that Iraq is facing a gasoline shortage, saying supplies remain stable with strategic reserves of around 100 million liters.

The boost comes as Iraq’s oil sector remains under severe strain. The country exported fewer than 10 million barrels in April, generating just over $1 billion, against roughly 100 million barrels and $7 billion in monthly revenues before US-Israeli strikes on Iran disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Production fell from around 4.3 million barrels per day to as low as 800,000 to 1.3 million bpd as the strait’s closure cut off Iraq’s main southern export route.