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Iraq is trying to redirect oil exports through a pipeline from Kurdistan to Turkey after the northern region refused to resume crude exports due to military attacks.
Oil Minister Hayyan Abdul Ghani revealed that the Ministry is working to complete the rehabilitation of the pipeline linking the Kirkuk oil fields to the Iraqi-Turkish pipeline, paving the way for the resumption of direct oil exports to the Ceyhan port without passing through the Kurdistan Region.
In statements carried by Iraq’s media, Abdul Ghani explained that "the remaining section of the project is nearly 100 kilometres long and requires hydrostatic testing."
He said the testing will be completed within a week, which will allow Kirkuk oil to be pumped directly through the Iraqi-Turkish pipeline."
"Negotiations with the Kurdistan Regional Government are ongoing to allow the export of between 200,000 and 250,000 barrels per day (bpd) of Kirkuk oil through the same pipeline," he said, adding that the halt in exports during the past period has deprived Iraq of a major source of revenue."
Oil-rich Kurdistan said last week it has halted exports via the Kirkuk-Cehyan pipeline, which was re-commissioned in 2025, because of attacks on its fields.
The Kurdish mineral resources ministry accused militants in Iraq of launching the attacks, leading to a stoppage in crude production. The ministry said Baghdad failed to “confront” attacks by these armed groups targeting the region’s energy infrastructure.
The dispute comes as oil exports from the Kurdistan Region have largely halted following repeated drone and missile attacks on energy infrastructure, a fall-out of the ongoing war in the Gulf.
Iraq’s oil production has slumped to nearly a third of its total output of around 4.2 million bpd following the closure of Hormuz Straits, Iraq’s only export outlet. Iraqi officials said last week production was halted in key fields after storage facilities became full.
(Writing by N Saeed; Editing by Anoop Menon)
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