Fuel Crisis Deepens in Dozens of Nations as Talks With Iran Open in Pakistan

Gasoline stations across Ireland were running dry on Saturday amid widespread protests over rising fuel prices, highlighting what is at stake for countries around the world in the negotiations between American and Iranian delegations underway in Islamabad, Pakistan.Police began Saturday to clear away trucks and tractors whose drivers have been blockading Ireland’s only fuel refinery and several depots since Tuesday to protest the price spike prompted by Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The main highway around the capital, Dublin, as well as six other major roadways have also been blocked.Elsewhere, the Philippines has declared a national energy emergency, while Pakistan and South Korea have introduced fuel price caps and rationing as prices have spiked in at least 95 countries, prompting intense global interest in the Islamabad talks.Reports from the Pakistani capital said the American delegation led by Vice President Vance had begun the first face-to-face talks with their Iranian counterparts since the United States and Israel started their coordinated air campaign on February 28. The Iranian delegation is led by the parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, while host Pakistan is participating.Entering the negotiations, the two countries are far apart, with America demanding that Iran give up its nuclear stockpiles, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end support for its foreign proxies, among other elements of a 15-point plan.Iran’s demands in a 10-point plan include a lifting of sanctions, the right to control Hormuz and security guarantees both for itself and its Hezbollah allies in Lebanon.Iran’s state-run news agency claimed that two conditions set by the Islamic Republic for the beginning of talks had been met, namely that Israel ease its attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon and that Iran’s frozen foreign assets be unfrozen. There was no confirmation of that from the American side and the Lebanese government reported at least 10 people were killed Saturday in Israeli strikes across the south of the country.In a hopeful sign, the United States Central Command announced in a post on X Saturday that two guided missile destroyers were operating in the Persian Gulf and had begun setting conditions for clearing mines in the Strait of Hormuz.“Today, we began the process of establishing a new passage and we will share this safe pathway with the maritime industry soon to encourage the free flow of commerce,” said the CENTCOM commander, Admiral Brad Cooper.With Iran’s Supreme National Security Council saying the Islamabad negotiations could last for up to 15 days — extending beyond the expiry of the two-week ceasefire announced on April 7 — fuel-hungry nations around the world are watching anxiously.In Ireland, more than a third of the country’s 1,500 service stations are out of fuel and that number is expected to grow dramatically if the roadblocks continue, the Associated Press reported Saturday quoting Fuels for Ireland’s chief executive, Kevin McPartlan.It said all of the nation’s police officers have been warned they may be called to duty over the weekend and the military has been placed on standby to help remove the obstructing vehicles. Prime Minister Micheál Martin warned on Friday that the refinery blockade was on the verge of forcing the country to begin turning away oil tankers, making the crisis even worse.In the Philippines, which gets 98 percent of its fuel from the Middle East, prices have more than doubled since the war began. The government warns that the country’s reserves are down to 45 days and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has said it may become necessary to ground all domestic flights.In South Korea, the government has imposed fuel price caps for the first time in almost 30 years and restricted the use of public sector vehicles to four work days per week. Citizens have been urged to take shorter showers and observe other energy-saving practices, while deep discounts are being offered for public transport.In Pakistan, fuel prices are up as much as 50 percent and many factories have been forced to shut down. The government has implemented a four-day work week in public offices and announced free public transportation to reduce use of private vehicles.Globally, gasoline prices have spiked in at least 95 countries, hitting record levels in many of them, according to the website GlobalPetrolPrices. Among those suffering the greatest increases are Myanmar at 94 percent, Malaysia at 58 percent and Zimbabwe at 43 percent.The United States ranks among the harder-hit countries with gas prices up by 35 percent, according to the price-tracking website.

Fuel Crisis Deepens in Dozens of Nations as Talks With Iran Open in Pakistan

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