Iraq could export Kirkuk oil through Kurdistan pipeline next week: Source

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq may resume exporting oil from the Kirkuk fields through the Kurdistan Region to Turkey’s Ceyhan port as early as next week, a senior Iraqi government source said on Wednesday, as Baghdad looks for alternatives to the effectively closed Strait of Hormuz amid the ongoing regional war.

A high-level source from Iraq’s Oil Ministry told Rudaw on Wednesday that a response to Iraq's request submitted to the Kurdistan Region for the use of its pipeline to Turkey "is expected before the end of this week, with exports scheduled to begin next week."

They added that the escalating conflict involving the United States and Israel against Iran and the continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz - a strategic maritime chokepoint - have forced Baghdad to explore several export routes.

"There is an extraordinary security situation in the region, and we have taken every measure to confront its consequences. We have several options available for exporting oil, and one of those options is utilizing the Kurdistan Region’s oil pipeline to the port of Ceyhan," the source added, speaking on the condition of anonymity. 

According to the official, the federal government’s initial plan is to export 250,000 barrels per day from the Kirkuk oilfields through the Kurdistan Region’s pipeline if conditions remain unchanged, noting that "this amount could be increased later."

Baghdad has already formally requested approval from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to use the pipeline, which connects the Region to the Turkish port of Ceyhan on the Mediterranean.

The official said discussions with the KRG are ongoing and that a decision could come soon.

The source added that Baghdad has also offered incentives to facilitate the process.

"If the Kurdistan Region agrees to the request, the federal government has promised to further facilitate the transfer of salary payments for the coming months," the source said, as the ongoing disputes over the Kurdistan Region's salary payments continue between Baghdad and Erbil, which left the public employees unpaid for two months last year. 

Currently, oil shipments through the pipeline remain minimal.

"In the current situation, the Kurdistan Region exports 40,000 barrels - and sometimes only 20,000 barrels - per day to the port of Ceyhan, which is too low a volume to keep the pipeline operational," the source explained.

The Kurdistan Region exported over 200,000 barrels per day to Turkey before the US and Israel launched the ongoing war with Iran on February 28. 

The Iraqi official stressed that the Kurdistan pipeline is currently Baghdad’s most practical route to global markets.

"Therefore, our only easy route to deliver oil to European and global markets is the Kurdistan Region’s oil pipeline, and it is the federal government's right to take this step," the source said.

The push to reroute exports comes as the Strait of Hormuz - the world’s most critical oil shipping corridor - has remained largely closed for 11 consecutive days amid the war. The strait typically handles 20 percent of all seaborne oil trade.

The conflict has drawn in more than a dozen countries and has already disrupted regional oil production. Before the war, Iraq produced approximately 4.35 million barrels per day, but Rudaw has learned that output has dropped significantly.  

The disruption has also forced major oil producers across the region to reduce output and search for alternative export routes as global energy markets face mounting uncertainty.

Malik Mohammed contributed to this article from Erbil, Kurdistan Region.