IRBIL, Iraq (AP) — Drivers in Iraq’s semiautonomous northern Kurdish region waited in line for hours, some overnight, to buy gasoline in recent days as a fuel crisis gripped the main city, Irbil.Most private gas stations were shuttered Tuesday, with only a handful of government-run stations still selling fuel. Security threats linked to the war in Iran have prompted the Dana Gas company, the biggest in northern Iraq, to reduce production at its Khor Mor gas field, Kurdish regional government Prime Minister Masrour Barzani said in a news conference Monday. Those threats have included drone attacks.Iran-backed Iraqi militia groups have carried out multiple drone strikes targeting American interests across the country, while the U.S. has struck back against militia bases to defend its troops.A number of Kurdish opposition groups have also taken up arms against the Iranian authorities over the years, and some have established bases in neighboring Iraq. These bases have also come under fire.
Mediators appear to be making progress in getting the United States and Iran back to negotiations after both sides paused attacks following a period of rapidly escalating tensions. But scattered attacks by armed groups have continued. Authorities in northern Iraq blamed the fuel shortages on the conflict.
