Iraq is preparing to open two new oil export routes via Turkey’s Ceyhan Port and Syria’s Baniyas in an effort to diversify its oil exports. Oil Minister Basim Mohammed Khudair said the initiative aims to reduce the country’s dependence on the Strait of Hormuz while expanding its energy export capacity.
Speaking on the plan, Khudair announced that Iraq intends to establish two additional export corridors through Ceyhan in Turkey and Baniyas in Syria.
He stated:
“A consortium of American and Qatari companies, together with an Iraqi company, is working on a pipeline project extending from Basra to Fishkhabour, where it will connect to the Ceyhan pipeline. In addition, a branch pipeline from Haditha to Baniyas is also planned. These projects will provide two additional routes for oil exports.”
Khudair stressed that Baghdad should not rely on a single export route through the Strait of Hormuz, arguing that such dependence is inconsistent with Iraq’s vast oil and natural gas reserves. He recalled that before regional conflicts disrupted infrastructure, Iraq had pursued a strategy of diversifying its crude oil exports through multiple routes.
The minister also revealed that Iraq’s agreement with the American energy company Chevron covers four major projects. These include the development of the West Qurna-2 oil field, the operation of oil blocks in Nasiriyah and Balad, and the construction of pipeline infrastructure linking southern Iraq to Ceyhan and Baniyas.
Khudair added that Iraq is also cooperating with ExxonMobil and aims to attract other major international energy companies to help develop the country’s oil, natural gas, and energy infrastructure.
Iraq and Syria Agree to Reactivate Crude Oil Pipeline
Iraq and Syria have signed a memorandum of understanding in Washington, D.C., to rebuild and reactivate the crude oil pipeline connecting the two countries.
The agreement was signed during the U.S.-Iraq Business Council meeting by Bassem Abdul Karim Nasr, President of Iraq’s Basra Oil Company, and Youssef Qablawi, CEO of the Syrian Petroleum Company.
The signing ceremony was attended by U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright.
In a statement, the U.S. Department of State described the project to restore the crude oil pipeline as being of strategic importance to the region.
The statement welcomed the memorandum, noting that an international consortium led by the United States will oversee the project’s technical and financial implementation.
Speaking at the ceremony, U.S. Ambassador to Türkiye and Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack said the pipeline agreements would pave the way for a process that could reduce the strategic importance of the Strait of Hormuz in global energy supply.
The pipeline linking Iraq’s northern Kirkuk region to the Mediterranean port of Baniyas in Syria has remained out of service since it was damaged during the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.