India Comes To Bangladesh's Rescue Amid Diesel Shortage Fueled By Iran War

Amid improving bilateral relations, India has sent a major consignment of diesel to Bangladesh, which is facing a critical fuel shortfall due to the war in Iran. New Delhi has sent 5,000 tonnes of diesel as part of the regular ongoing energy trade between the two countries, according to sources. 

Bangladesh has been reeling from a shortage of petrol and diesel due to disruptions in oil supplies following the war in Iran. Dhaka has confirmed receiving the diesel consignment from India and has requested additional supplies. 

"We have an agreement with India, and according to that agreement, India will supply 180,000 tonnes of diesel to Bangladesh via the pipeline each year. The 5,000 tonnes of diesel that is arriving now as part of that agreement," Chairman of Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC), Muhammad Rezanur Rahman, told news agency ANI on Tuesday.

"According to the agreement, at least 90,000 tonnes of diesel should be imported to Bangladesh within six months. The consignment arriving today is 5,000 tonnes, and we hope that within the next two months, we will bring in the total diesel amount for the entire six months," he added. 

India On Bangladesh's Request

AFP

New Delhi has been supplying diesel to Bangladesh under the 'India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline' initiative, which was operationalised in 2017. The fuel is being supplied on a commercial basis from Numaligarh Refinery Limited under the initiative, the sources said.

But Dhaka's request for additional supplies will be considered on the basis of the availability of the fuel and market conditions, government sources said on Tuesday. The clarification came at the backdrop of New Delhi's assurance that India is not facing any fuel shortage despite the growing uncertainty in global energy markets due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

Under the commercial framework, India is to supply 1,80,000 tonnes of diesel to Bangladesh annually.

So far, India has not made a decision on the request by the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) to provide an additional 5,000 tonnes of diesel from the Numaligarh refinery in Assam, sources added. 

Meanwhile, Bangladesh has implemented a series of drastic measures in response to a deepening energy crisis, including the closure of public and private universities starting Monday.

To stabilise dwindling supplies, the government has also introduced strict daily limits on fuel sales following panic buying at fuel stations last week.

Iran War Fuels Energy Crisis 

The US said it took out more than a dozen mine-laying Iranian vessels on Tuesday, and the Islamic Republic vowed to block the region's oil exports, saying it would not allow “even a single litre" to be shipped to its enemies.

As concerns grew about the war's effect on a strategic waterway, the American military said it destroyed 16 minelayers, though President Donald Trump said in social media posts that there were no reports of Iran planting explosives in the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 per cent of the world's oil is shipped.

The American military released the figure, along with unclassified footage of some of the vessels, after Trump threatened to hit Iran at “a level never seen before” if the country failed to immediately remove any mines it might have deployed in the channel.

Both sides sharpened their rhetoric as the war entered its 11th day. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth promised the most intense strikes yet while the Pentagon detailed the broader toll of injuries sustained by US troops.

The conflict's effects rippled across the Middle East and beyond. Iranian leaders ruled out talks, threatened Trump and launched new attacks against Israel and Gulf Arab countries.