Iraq Negotiates with Iran for Safe Oil Passage Through Hormuz While Reviving Shut Pipeline to Turkey

As Middle East conflict chokes oil shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, Iraq is holding talks with Iran to secure safe passage for its oil tankers through the waterway, Oil Minister Hayan Abdel-Ghani announced on Monday. The move comes after recent attacks on tankers in Iraqi waters disrupted the country's crude exports. Alongside the diplomatic effort, Baghdad is racing to restore the 960-kilometer Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline, shut since 2014 following repeated Islamic State attacks, which once carried about 0.5% of the global oil supply directly to Turkey's Ceyhan. Once restored, the pipeline could initially carry 250,000 barrels per day, rising to 450,000 barrels per day if Kurdistan region oil fields are included. However, a dispute between Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government threatens to delay that option, with Iraq accusing Kurdish authorities of imposing arbitrary conditions on pipeline use and warning of potential legal action.