ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq has announced plans to export oil to the Red Sea through a pipeline project linking Basra to multiple export routes amid ongoing disruptions at the strategic waterway of Strait of Hormuz caused by the Iran war.
The announcement was made during a special meeting chaired by Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani on Sunday, according to a statement from his media office.
"Basra-Haditha carrier pipeline project will ensure flexibility in transporting crude oil toward the Turkish port of Ceyhan, as well as the ports of Baniyas and Aqaba [in Jordan]," read the statement, adding that the project "will provide the flexibility to supply refineries in the central and northern regions and increase their production capacity under various circumstances."
The pipeline is designed to run from Basra to the town of Haditha in Anbar province, extending approximately 1,665 kilometers toward Jordan’s Port of Aqaba on the Red Sea, with additional flexibility to connect to existing export routes through Kirkuk and onward to Turkey’s Ceyhan port.
The move comes as Iraq faces mounting pressure on its oil export infrastructure following repeated instability in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital passage for global energy supplies. Before the United States and Israel military campaign against Iran that began on February 28, Iraq’s oil production stood at around 4.5 million barrels per day, with approximately 3.5 million barrels exported daily, including output from the Kurdistan Region.
Disruptions to maritime traffic have since significantly affected shipments, given that nearly 90 percent of Iraq’s oil exports traditionally pass through the waterway.