Jordan declares halt in Iraqi oil flow, negotiates extension

Shafaq News / The Jordanian Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources announced the suspension of Iraqi crude oil imports to the kingdom.

The ministry stated that the halt coincides with the expiration of the memorandum of understanding for supplying crude oil between the governments of Iraq and Jordan, signed last May.

Iman Awad, Director of the Oil and Natural Gas Sector at the ministry, explained that “the Jordanian Ministry of Energy has addressed the Iraqi Ministry of Oil to approve an extension of the memorandum for an additional three months, under the same contractual conditions, from the expiration date of the current memorandum.” This is aimed at completing the transfer of the contracted quantities under the existing memorandum.

Awad added that “the ministry is closely following up with the Iraqi side and the Jordanian embassy in Baghdad to obtain the necessary approvals from the Iraqi side for the extension.”

She clarified that the signing procedures for a new memorandum of understanding will proceed once the transfer of the entire contracted quantities specified in the current memorandum is completed, noting that “the imported quantities of oil from Iraq constitute about 7% of Jordan's crude oil needs.”

According to a specialized energy platform, Jordan's imports of Iraqi oil during 2023 witnessed an increase of over 55% compared to the levels recorded in 2022, providing a significant portion of the kingdom's fuel needs.

Notably, Iraq exports crude oil to Jordan at preferential prices via tanker trucks, at a rate of approximately 15,000 bpd.