Shafaq News- Baghdad

The Comoros-flagged tanker Helga arrived at Basra's southern offshore terminal on Friday to load two million barrels of crude oil, Reuters reported, only the second vessel to dock at Iraq's southern terminals since the Strait of Hormuz was effectively closed.

The strait is the chokepoint through which more than 90 percent of Iraq's oil exports pass, along with the majority of its imports from Asia.

Iraq secured access to the waterway after Iran granted it an explicit exemption from shipping restrictions imposed at the outbreak of the US-Israel war on February 28. Iran's military spokesman said "brotherly Iraq is exempt from any restrictions we have imposed on the Strait of Hormuz," distinguishing Baghdad from what Tehran describes as hostile states. The spokesman addressed Iraqis in Arabic rather than Persian, thanking them for their support since the war began.

Earlier this month, the Malta-flagged Agios Fanourios I became the first vessel to load Basra crude since the conflict began, carrying approximately two million barrels after transiting the strait during the ceasefire period.

According to Reuters, only five vessels passed through the Strait of Hormuz in the 24 hours to Friday, against an average of 140 daily passages before the war.

Read more: Hormuz lockdown: Iraq’s economic lifeline under threat