BALADI NEWS
Syria received its first foreign oil supplies for six months last week, with the arrival of two shipments including one from Iran, a source familiar with Iranian oil shipments said, easing the war-torn country's fuel crisis.
The oil was delivered in two tankers, one sent by Iran, the other by an unnamed businessman, the source added.
Syria has suffered an acute fuel shortage this winter, with the government introducing rationing for gasoline and cooking gas and long queues building at petrol stations.
Bashar al-Assad, speaking in February, said the crisis was part of a siege imposed by governments that oppose him, including the United States, which has imposed sanctions that broadly prohibit trade with Damascus.
Iran has been one of Assad's closest allies throughout the war, helping him with military aid as well as cash, but it also faces sanctions that the United States has recently stepped up.
The Iranian shipment that arrived last week was one of two expected from Iran, the source said. The source gave no further information on the identity or nationality of the businessman who had delivered the other shipment.
Source: Zaman al-Wasl, based on Reuters.