Iraq Extends Fuel Supply to Lebanon for 6 Months
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani has approved a six-month extension allowing Iraq’s Oil Ministry to continue supplying Lebanon with fuel, his office confirmed on Saturday. The announcement followed a phone call with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, during which al-Sudani expressed Iraq’s ongoing support for Lebanon’s stability and recovery.
The Iraqi government first began supplying Lebanon with heavy fuel oil in 2021 to help keep its power plants running. The arrangement allows Lebanon to trade the oil for gas oil, which is usable in its electricity infrastructure. In return, Lebanon offers medical services to Iraqi citizens. The deal has provided temporary relief to Lebanon’s severe energy shortages but has also been disrupted by disagreements over payment terms and logistical hurdles.
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Al-Sudani used the call to reaffirm Baghdad’s broader commitment to assisting Lebanon through its political and economic crises. According to his office, he also condemned recent Israeli strikes in Beirut’s southern suburb, an area known to be a stronghold of Hezbollah.
Berri, in turn, thanked al-Sudani for his continued support of Lebanon’s sovereignty and stressed the importance of expanding cooperation between the two countries in energy, healthcare, and other sectors.
Lebanon’s deepening economic crisis, which began in 2019, has left much of the population without reliable access to electricity or basic services. Its power grid depends heavily on external fuel supplies, with no long-term domestic solution yet in place.
