Iraq launches first crude oil exports via Rabia border crossing to Syria

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraq launched its first crude oil export operation through the Rabia border crossing with Syria, Iraq’s Border Ports Commission announced on Friday, dispatching an initial shipment of 70 tanker trucks to regional markets.

In a statement, the Commission head Omar Adnan Al-Waeli said there is a potential for increased volumes of dispatchments in the future, adding that the step marks Rabia as a strategic route for crude oil exports, helping ease pressure on other outlets, diversify marketing channels, and support national revenues.

“Efforts are underway to expand the crossing’s capacity and upgrade infrastructure and logistics services to meet expected demand in the coming period,” he noted, explaining that exporting oil via land routes “provides an alternative channel that reduces risks associated with traditional export pathways.”

The Rabia–Al-Yarubiyah crossing between Iraq and Syria reopened to trade and passenger traffic on April 22 after 13 years of closure driven by security challenges during the fight against ISIS, as well as shifting control and coordination issues along the frontier. Iraqi and Syrian authorities have gradually rehabilitated several crossings, including Al-Waleed and Al-Yarubiyah, to restore trade routes and facilitate the movement of goods and passengers.