RIYADH: Iraq increased oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz and the Ceyhan pipeline in July, Oil Minister Bassem Mohammed Khudair said, as Baghdad sought to recover revenue lost during the disruption of its main export route.
Average shipments through the two outlets reached about 1.5 million barrels a day before the latest escalation in the war, Khudair said in an interview with Asharq Bloomberg in Washington broadcast Saturday.
While that remains well below Iraq’s pre-war exports, it stands at about three times Bloomberg estimates for June shipments.
Iraq is seeking a significant increase in exports to offset heavy financial losses caused by the closure of Hormuz, the main route for Baghdad’s oil sales. At the same time, the government is accelerating plans for alternative export corridors through Turkiye and Syria to protect revenue from future disruptions to the waterway.
Khudair did not provide details on the impact of renewed attacks between the US and Iran this week on export volumes, only saying that the conflict was affecting countries beyond Iraq.
