Iraqi oil yet to pass through Strait of Hormuz despite US-Iran ceasefire: Official
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - No ship carrying Iraqi oil has passed through the Strait of Hormuz despite the ceasefire between the United States and Iran, Iraq’s oil ministry said on Thursday, citing ongoing security concerns in the vital waterway.
“As of now, no Iraqi oil ship has passed through the Strait of Hormuz since the ceasefire,” Sahib Bazoun, head of media and relations department at Iraq’s ministry of oil, told Rudaw, adding that Baghdad is waiting for further clarity on the security situation as guarantees are not solely dependent on Iraq.
The Strait of Hormuz is a critical global oil transit route through which a significant share of the world’s crude oil exports pass. Tensions in the Middle East have disrupted shipping lanes since the outbreak of the US-Iran war in late February, prompting Iraq to explore alternative export routes.
The United States and Iran announced a ceasefire early Wednesday, but traffic through the waterway has yet to return to normal. Ongoing Israeli strikes in Lebanon are threatening the fragile truce, with Tehran insisting the ceasefire should also include Lebanon. Hezbollah, the Lebanese armed group, entered the conflict in its early days by targeting Israel, prompting a heavy Israeli response against the country.
Bazoun said Iraq is currently exporting more than 200,000 barrels of oil per day through the Kurdistan Region to Turkey’s Mediterranean port of Ceyhan. The shipments include crude from both Kirkuk and Basra.
“The oil being exported via the Kurdistan Region is not solely from Kirkuk. A portion of Basra oil is transported by tanker to Kirkuk and then exported from there,” he told Rudaw.
Exports from the north are expected to increase in the coming weeks. Amer Khalil, head of the state-run North Oil Company, previously said that combined exports of Kirkuk and Kurdistan Region oil via pipeline have reached nearly 200,000 barrels per day, with plans to raise output to 300,000 barrels.
Baghdad has also developed contingency plans to bypass the Strait of Hormuz. According to the oil ministry, Iraq has reached an understanding with Turkey to export crude oil by tanker through Turkish territory, even if maritime routes reopen.
Meanwhile, work on Iraq’s own pipeline to Ceyhan is nearing completion. Bazoun said only hydrostatic testing remains, with initial export capacity expected to start at 100,000 barrels per day.
He denied reports that Iraq has exported crude oil through Syria, clarifying that only fuel oil shipments have taken place so far. “The export of crude oil via Syria is still under discussion and review,” he noted.
Iraq resumed exports of Kirkuk crude through the Kurdistan Region’s pipeline to Ceyhan on March 18, following an agreement between Erbil and Baghdad, ending a prolonged halt that had strained federal-regional relations and impacted global markets.
Nahro Mohammed contributed to this article from Erbil, Kurdistan Region.
“As of now, no Iraqi oil ship has passed through the Strait of Hormuz since the ceasefire,” Sahib Bazoun, head of media and relations department at Iraq’s ministry of oil, told Rudaw, adding that Baghdad is waiting for further clarity on the security situation as guarantees are not solely dependent on Iraq.
The Strait of Hormuz is a critical global oil transit route through which a significant share of the world’s crude oil exports pass. Tensions in the Middle East have disrupted shipping lanes since the outbreak of the US-Iran war in late February, prompting Iraq to explore alternative export routes.
The United States and Iran announced a ceasefire early Wednesday, but traffic through the waterway has yet to return to normal. Ongoing Israeli strikes in Lebanon are threatening the fragile truce, with Tehran insisting the ceasefire should also include Lebanon. Hezbollah, the Lebanese armed group, entered the conflict in its early days by targeting Israel, prompting a heavy Israeli response against the country.
Bazoun said Iraq is currently exporting more than 200,000 barrels of oil per day through the Kurdistan Region to Turkey’s Mediterranean port of Ceyhan. The shipments include crude from both Kirkuk and Basra.
“The oil being exported via the Kurdistan Region is not solely from Kirkuk. A portion of Basra oil is transported by tanker to Kirkuk and then exported from there,” he told Rudaw.
Exports from the north are expected to increase in the coming weeks. Amer Khalil, head of the state-run North Oil Company, previously said that combined exports of Kirkuk and Kurdistan Region oil via pipeline have reached nearly 200,000 barrels per day, with plans to raise output to 300,000 barrels.
Baghdad has also developed contingency plans to bypass the Strait of Hormuz. According to the oil ministry, Iraq has reached an understanding with Turkey to export crude oil by tanker through Turkish territory, even if maritime routes reopen.
Meanwhile, work on Iraq’s own pipeline to Ceyhan is nearing completion. Bazoun said only hydrostatic testing remains, with initial export capacity expected to start at 100,000 barrels per day.
He denied reports that Iraq has exported crude oil through Syria, clarifying that only fuel oil shipments have taken place so far. “The export of crude oil via Syria is still under discussion and review,” he noted.
Iraq resumed exports of Kirkuk crude through the Kurdistan Region’s pipeline to Ceyhan on March 18, following an agreement between Erbil and Baghdad, ending a prolonged halt that had strained federal-regional relations and impacted global markets.
Nahro Mohammed contributed to this article from Erbil, Kurdistan Region.