At a Glance

• MP says Region needs more crude for refining.
• Kurdistan seeks 14% of Iraq's refining allocation.
• PUK lawmaker calls fuel crisis "man-made."
• Baghdad offers fuel at official prices under proposal.

A member of the Iraqi Parliament's Oil and Gas Committee has called for increasing the Kurdistan Region's share of crude oil allocated for domestic refining, arguing that the current allocation is insufficient to meet fuel demand. Separately, the head of the PUK parliamentary bloc said Baghdad is prepared to resolve the fuel crisis if oil refining is placed under the federal government's authority.

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Key Statements and Focus Area

• Sipan Sherwani: "The Kurdistan Region is entitled to 14% of Iraq's crude oil allocated for refining."
• Sherwani: Current domestic production covers only a fraction of the Region's gasoline demand.
• Harem Kamal Agha: The gasoline crisis is "man-made" and stems from the Region's internal management.
• Kamal Agha: Baghdad is prepared to provide gasoline at the official rate of 450 IQD per liter if the refining process is transferred to the federal government.

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Kurdistan's Fuel Demand Exceeds Current Production

Sipan Sherwani, a member of the Oil and Gas Committee in the Iraqi Council of Representatives, said the Kurdistan Region requires approximately 7 million liters of gasoline per day to meet motorists' needs.

According to Sherwani, the 50,000 barrels of crude oil currently allocated for domestic use produce only 2 million liters of gasoline, leaving a significant gap between supply and demand.

Sherwani said increasing the amount of crude oil supplied to refineries in the Kurdistan Region is the only long-term solution to the gasoline shortage.

He noted that 1 million barrels of crude oil are allocated each day for refining and fuel production in central and southern Iraq. He argued that the Kurdistan Region should receive 14% of that allocation, reflecting what he described as its entitlement and population share.

According to Sherwani, receiving that share would allow the Region's refineries to produce enough fuel locally, helping eliminate gasoline shortages and reduce fuel prices across the Kurdistan Region.

PUK Bloc Says Crisis Is an Internal Issue

Harem Kamal Agha, head of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) parliamentary bloc in the Iraqi Council of Representatives, described the fuel shortage and high gasoline prices as a "man-made" crisis linked to the Kurdistan Region's internal administration.

He said the issue should be regarded as an internal matter rather than an external one.

Kamal Agha said the Iraqi Minister of Oil has proposed a mechanism to resolve the crisis.

Under the proposal, the 50,000 barrels of crude oil currently produced each day in the Kurdistan Region and supplied to local refineries would instead be transferred to the federal government, which would then assume responsibility for supplying fuel to the Region.

He added that Baghdad is prepared to provide gasoline at the official nationwide price of 450 IQD per liter, bringing fuel prices in the Kurdistan Region in line with those in central and southern Iraq.

News Lens

The Kurdistan Region has experienced recurring gasoline shortages and higher fuel prices in recent months, with officials and lawmakers offering differing approaches to resolving the crisis. The debate comes as Baghdad and Erbil continue negotiations over oil management, energy exports, and broader revenue-sharing arrangements, issues that remain central to relations between the federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government.