Iraq Calls On Kurdistan IOCs To Boost Ceyhan Exports

5 Jun 2026 Issue: 69 / 23 By: Yesar Al-Maleki

Iraq is asking Kurdistan IOCs to resume production to enable increased pipeline exports to Turkey. New Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has promised protection from attacks by local militias and compensation for any damage. But Baghdad has yet to provide any tangible assurances. Plans for pipeline exports reaching 770,000 b/d this summer face multiple obstacles, not least the looming expiry of the pipeline treaty.

The Iraqi government has asked oil field operators in Kurdistan to resume production to facilitate its goal of increasing pipeline flows to Turkey from 220,000 b/d to 770,000 b/d by mid-August. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz since early March has caused vital oil export revenues to collapse, and with federal state marketer Somo now in charge of marketing Kurdish barrels, oil from the region represents an important potential source of new revenue.

Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi met with IOC executives and officials from the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in Baghdad on 3 June, a day after the new export target was separately announced by the cabinet. (CONTINUED - 1682 WORDS)