Fuel smuggling from Iran to Pakistan surges amid war disruption to oil flows

Smuggling of Iranian fuel into Pakistan has increased in recent months as the US-Israeli war against Iran disrupts Strait of Hormuz oil flows, with intelligence reports estimating the illicit trade at $1bn annually.

• A leaked Pakistani intelligence report cited by Nikkei Asia estimated that fuel worth $1bn is smuggled annually from Iran into Pakistan.
• Pakistan's five major oil refineries sent a letter urging the government to intervene, and the Oil Companies Advisory Council said official petroleum sales hit a 27‑year low partly due to rising smuggling.
• The Pakistani government denied any involvement in fuel smuggling and said security forces seized fuel worth 1.3 billion rupees ($5m) in the past year.
• Mazaar, a fuel smuggler in Balochistan, said he began the work three months ago after drought ended his farming, and that the war reduced his daily earnings.