Baghdad Targets 500,000 bpd via Turkiye as Hormuz Tensions Cut Iraq Exports
Updated
Updated · Shafaq News · May 16
Baghdad Targets 500,000 bpd via Turkiye as Hormuz Tensions Cut Iraq Exports
5 articles · Updated · Shafaq News · May 16
Iraq aims to lift crude exports through Turkiye’s Ceyhan port to 500,000 bpd from about 200,000 bpd now, Oil Minister Basim Khudhair al-Abadi said on his first day in office.
93 million barrels a month shipped before the latest US-Iran escalation fell to about 10 million in April, which he linked to rising risks to energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz.
That increase depends on international oil companies returning to the Kurdistan Region after several suspended operations, while Baghdad works to narrow disputes with Erbil and align production rules.
1.4 million bpd is the current combined output from Basra and Kirkuk, and Baghdad is urging OPEC and the wider international community to back a higher Iraqi production ceiling.
With its main oil artery severed, can Iraq's overland routes to Turkiye truly bypass the Hormuz crisis?
As Iran collects oil tolls in yuan, is the era of the US petrodollar effectively over?
Iraq’s Oil Export Collapse: The 2026 Strait of Hormuz Crisis, Fiscal Meltdown, and the Urgent Race for Diversification
Overview
In April 2026, a major disruption at the Strait of Hormuz severely impacted Iraq’s oil exports, forcing the country to take immediate action. Iraq quickly reactivated alternative export routes, focusing on reopening the Iraq-Turkey pipeline and reconsidering previously shelved projects to Oman, Jordan, and Egypt. These urgent measures were driven by the collapse of Iraq’s main export channel and the need to stabilize its economy. The crisis highlighted Iraq’s heavy reliance on the Strait of Hormuz and pushed the government to rethink its energy infrastructure, aiming to reduce vulnerability and ensure future stability.