Baghdad accelerates plans to build oil pipelines to Mediterranean ports to bypass the Strait of Hormuz

Iraqi Oil Minister Basim al-Khider stated that Iraq is working to accelerate plans to build an oil pipeline reaching ports on the Mediterranean Sea in Turkey and Syria, amid a prolonged blockade of the Strait of Hormuz that is hindering exports.

Al-Khider told the Iraqi official news agency (INA) over the weekend that a feasibility study is underway to construct a pipeline linking the country’s oil-producing regions in the southern province of Basra and Kirkuk in the north to Mediterranean ports in Ceyhan, Turkey, and Baniyas, Syria.

He added that this route could later be extended to reach the Jordanian port of Aqaba on the Red Sea.

Iraq relies heavily on oil exports, which account for more than 90% of state revenues under normal circumstances. More than 10 million Iraqis depend on monthly government salaries and payments, including civil servants, retirees, and social welfare beneficiaries.

The search for alternative export routes has become increasingly urgent due to the de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz for months, resulting from hostilities between Iran and the United States. Iraqi oil production has also declined during this period of conflict.

Al-Khider noted that Iraq currently exports some oil through an existing pipeline to Turkey that passes through the autonomous Kurdistan Region. He added that a second pipeline bypassing Kurdistan is currently undergoing final tests and could be operational within days.