Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraq is moving toward Syria and Jordan as potential crude export outlets after Turkiye, as Baghdad seeks to diversify its routes to international markets, parliamentary Oil Committee member Zainab Al-Khazraji told Shafaq News on Monday.

Iraq, OPEC’s second-largest oil producer, relies on crude exports for about 90% of federal revenue, leaving the country particularly exposed to disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway that normally carries roughly one-fifth of global oil supplies. In late March, economic expert Nabil Al-Marsoumi estimated that the country had cut production by about 2.9 million barrels per day, the largest reduction among OPEC members.

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Maritime traffic through the strait remains sharply restricted following its closure since February 28. Only seven vessels crossed in the past 24 hours —five inbound and two outbound— with six visible through the Automatic Identification System (AIS) and one operating without an AIS signal, according to maritime intelligence firm Windward.

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Against that backdrop, the Oil Ministry earlier today unveiled plans for a new pipeline system along two routes, one reaching Fishkhabur on the Turkish border and another extending to Baniyas on Syria’s Mediterranean coast, as part of efforts to reduce reliance on Hormuz. A government source previously told Shafaq News that an Iraqi delegation would visit Iran for talks on energy supplies and securing passage for tankers carrying Iraqi crude through the waterway.