Iraq's oil minister travels to Türkiye to sign a crude export deal on the Kirkuk to Ceyhan pipeline

According to an official statement published by Shafaq News on Saturday, 1 August 2026 (10 Mordad 1405), Iraq's Oil Minister Basim Mohammed Khudair al-Abbadi travelled to Türkiye at the head of a senior delegation to finalise talks and sign an agreement on the transport and loading of Iraqi crude oil through the Iraq to Türkiye pipeline to the port of Ceyhan.

Al-Abbadi said the visit aims to expand Iraq's crude export outlets and maximise export revenues to support the state budget, coinciding with disruptions at the Strait of Hormuz that have strained global energy supply chains. The statement said the trip falls within the ministry's broader efforts to increase export capacity and reduce dependence on traditional transit routes by securing alternative options, and that the two sides will also discuss joint project development in oil, gas and infrastructure.

The visit follows the expiry of the previous pipeline agreement on 27 July 2026. Al-Abbadi had discussed the agreement in Baghdad on 9 July with Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar, and Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi visited Türkiye last week at the head of a senior delegation and met President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. A senior official at the state owned North Oil Company told Shafaq News on 24 June that the Kirkuk to Ceyhan pipeline had been fully prepared, with a test pumping phase due to begin within two weeks. Iraq is Iran's largest non oil export market, and alternative crude export routes in the region bear on global supply and on the risk premium in oil prices.