Iraq resumes oil flows through Hormuz after Iran exemption

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraqi oil tankers began transiting the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday after Iran granted an exemption, as the key shipping route remains largely closed amid the US-Israel-Iran war.

Tracking data showed at least one Iraqi cargo moving through the chokepoint, with the Suezmax tanker Ocean Thunder carrying about 1 million barrels of crude en route to Asia. Iran had said restrictions on shipping through Hormuz would not apply to Iraq, with similar permission granted to Malaysia.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein thanked Tehran for allowing the shipments during a meeting with Iran’s ambassador to Baghdad, Mohammad Kazem Al-Sadegh, according to a foreign ministry statement.

The Strait of Hormuz, which carries roughly 20% of global oil supply, was effectively closed after US and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28. The disruption hit Iraq’s oil sector, with production falling from about 3.5 million barrels per day to around 1.3 million bpd, while exports dropped to roughly 800,000 bpd.