Fuel Shortages Hit 5 Countries on Day 203 of the Iran War: Full List

It’s day 203 of the Iran war. And, at least five countries are rationing fuel or reporting empty pumps as of September 19. Brent crude traded at nearly $110 this month, its strongest level since spring.

The Strait of Hormuz has been largely shut since Iran retaliated for US and Israeli strikes on February 28. Houthi advances at the Bab al-Mandab chokepoint this month have now squeezed the main bypass route as well.

BRENT Price Performance. Source; TradingView

In September, the crisis is also a refined-product problem, not just a crude problem. Vitol CEO Russell Hardy said at the Asia-Pacific Petroleum Conference that the market is missing about 2 million barrels a day of products from Russia and almost 2 million more from the Middle East.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) says refined shipments leaving the Gulf still run below half their February pace. Russian diesel exports have roughly halved since June, per the IRU.

The 5 Countries Rationing Fuel or Reporting Stockouts

1. France

Between 10% and 12% of French stations were out of at least one fuel from September 13 to 15, according to government prix-carburant data cited by Connexion. Grand Est reached 14%.

SP95-E5 petrol hit an all-time record of €2.17 a litre after six straight weekly rises. Diesel is within 1% of the record set in April.

President Emmanuel Macron said on September 18 that France may release strategic reserves and wants a G7 meeting on coordinated action.

“In the coming weeks, we will hold a G7 meeting dedicated to these energy issues, both to strengthen cooperation and avoid unnecessary tensions among G7 countries and our key partners, and to consider options for potential releases from strategic ‌reserves ⁠or the lifting of restrictions, as we did a few months ago,” Macron said.

France holds roughly 118 days of net import cover in strategic oil reserves, yet its pumps are still running dry, which shows the bottleneck is refined product logistics rather than crude.

That distribution gap is now spilling into the streets. For instance, on September 15, Fishermen blockaded the Fos-sur-Mer depot and clashed with police.

2. Pakistan

Pakistan lifted its emergency fuel curbs on June 20. Eighty-nine days later, it brought them all back.

From September 17, shops and malls across Pakistan must close by 09:00 PM, wedding halls by 10:00 PM, and restaurants by 11:00 PM. This Cabinet Division order runs for the next three months.

Moreover, government vehicles lose 50% of their fuel allocation, with security fleets exempt.

The government banned new vehicle purchases and official foreign travel, and ordered a 5% cut to non-employee spending for fiscal 2026-27.

The bigger risk is winter. Pakistan must lock in oil and gas cargoes before November, when global demand rises, and Red Sea detours add about 10 days to each voyage.

3. Bangladesh

Bangladesh imports more than 90% of its petroleum, and Dhaka, a city of almost 40 million, now runs on a timetable set by gas pressure. Residents plan their days around when the stove will light, how long a fan can run, and how far the petrol queue stretches.

For many households, cooking has shifted to 01:00 AM, the only hour when piped gas is strong enough to use, The Guardian reported. One bank employee told the paper she sleeps three hours a night before a full day at the office.

“I don’t want anything extraordinary from the government; I want to turn on the stove and find gas, I want to switch on the light and find electricity, I want clean water from the tap. These are not luxuries.” the bank employee told The Guardian.

The government has answered with energy rationing. Shops, markets, and shopping centres must shut by 8 PM, an hour earlier than before, and lit billboards go dark from 7 PM. Only hospitals, pharmacies, food shops, and emergency services are exempt.

Industry is taking the same hit. Garment factories, the country’s main source of foreign currency, face rationing and temporary closures, and one Gazipur plant reported four or five power cuts a day.

4. Indonesia

By September 11, queues at Makassar pumps ran as long as one kilometer. Ride-hailing drivers described three-hour waits and called it the worst shortage they had ever seen.

South Sulawesi’s answer was rationing by decree on September 12. Cars can only refuel on days matching their plate number, private vehicles must show a fuel gauge below one bar, and trucks and buses may fill up only between 06:00 PM and 04:00 AM.

Rationing did not calm anyone. Eventually, on September 14, protesters stormed the Pertamina Patra Niaga office in Makassar and traded punches with security guards. Hundreds were still outside by nightfall, Kompas reported.

However, on September 17, Energy Minister Bahlil Lahadalia told reporters at the Presidential Palace that the Makassar shortage was resolved and national stocks cover 18 to 20 days.

He blamed drivers switching from full-price fuel to subsidised Pertalite as crude topped $100, per Tempo. His ministry is now drafting rules to bar wealthier households from subsidised pumps.

Indonesia imports about 60% of its fuel, and the rupiah had already lost 11% against the dollar by June. Therefore, each barrel costs more in local terms before Brent moves at all.

5. Nepal

Nepal’s supplies minister resigned on September 10 amidst the cooking gas supply crisis. The same day, students in Kathmandu cooked rice over firewood outside their campus gate in protest, according to ANI.

Along with the US-Iran conflict, the crisis deepened due to a landslide that shut the Prithvi Highway, the main supply road into Kathmandu.

Bottling plants in the Kathmandu Valley were delivering just 5% of the 35,000 to 40,000 cylinders the capital needs each day, the Federation of Nepal Gas Distributors told the Kathmandu Post. Some households have gone a month without a refill.

Restaurants say they are close to shutting down, and the Kathmandu Post now describes residents cutting back on food. Nepal imports every litre of fuel through India, so it sits at the end of a supply chain that is itself under strain.