politics
Bangladesh Faces Fuel Disruptions and Higher Costs Amid Iran Conflict
Energy disruptions linked to the conflict have cut incomes for ride-share drivers and raised costs for garment factories in the import-dependent nation. The World Bank and Asian Development Bank have lowered growth forecasts as Bangladesh imposes austerity measures and seeks emergency supplies from India. A father of four described how fuel rationing has forced him to sit idle every other day.
May 10, 1:00 AM·3m read2 sources
The IndependentAudio version
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Fuel shortages linked to the war in Iran have sharply cut incomes and raised business costs across Bangladesh, where a 53-year-old ride-share driver named Tariqul Islam now fears he may have to leave Dhaka and return to his village. Tariqul Islam lost his savings after setbacks in his clothing business about a year and a half ago.
He turned to ride-sharing on his motorbike to make ends meet and support his family of four, including a daughter at university and a son in college.
Until recently he spent hours in fuel lines as supply disruptions linked to the war in Iran rippled into Bangladesh. “My family was managing fairly well through ride-sharing,” Tariqul Islam said. “But after the fuel shortage began, I would buy fuel one day and run the bike for two days.
He fears the strain will worsen if the war drags on and has warned that “if this situation continues, we will have to move back to our village and find some other way to earn a living. ” Conditions eased slightly in recent days with shorter queues at fuel stations after the government increased supplies.
Bangladesh is heavily dependent on imported fuel, and energy shortages have disrupted daily life while slowing industrial output.
A photo of Tariqul Islam waiting in a long queue of petrol for his motorcycle was taken in Dhaka on Tuesday, April 23, 2026. The Strait of Hormuz is a chokepoint for about a fifth of global oil and natural gas trade, exposing import-reliant Asian economies to the conflict’s fallout. The Asian Development Bank cut growth forecasts for developing Asia and the Pacific in late April.
