Iran has sent tank trucks transporting gasoline to Lebanon through Iraq, the Iraqi Customs Authority announced on Monday.
In a statement, Iraqi Customs said that its personnel “had facilitated the passage of 10 tank trucks loaded with gasoline, arriving from the Islamic Republic of Iran as an aid for the State of Lebanon through the Al-Qa’im border crossing.”
Lebanon has been facing a shortage of fuel and an increase in fuel prices. This has been provoking gas station owners across the country, including in Akkar, Nabatieh, Marjayoun, Hasbaya, and other areas, to close their stations.
Some gas station owners are reportedly waiting for Wednesday to reopen, as fuel prices are expected to go up that day.
While some have shut their doors, others have resorted to rationing when refueling cars, setting a cap of 20,000 LBP’s worth (in some cases 10,000 LBP) of gas per car.
This comes as the Lebanese pound continues to rapidly tumble in the face of the U.S. dollar, reaching an unprecedented low of over 15,000 Lebanese pounds for the dollar on Tuesday afternoon.
In response to this situation, State Security has conducted patrols and forced the owners of some closed gas stations to reopen and serve customers after they were found to have available fuel in storage.
