Al-Zaydi to the Ministry of Oil: I don’t want excuses… I want results within a week
Al-Zaydi to the Ministry of Oil: I don’t want excuses… I want results within a week
2026-08-17
Shafaq News – Baghdad
On Monday, Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi called on the Ministry of Oil to find urgent solutions to the repercussions of the oil export crisis, stressing that he wants to see tangible results within a week, and emphasizing that every barrel of oil that is not sold represents a delay in salaries or public services and a loss to the state treasury.
Al-Zaydi said in a statement during his meeting with the Ministry of Oil today, which was reviewed by Shafaq News Agency, that “there are many excuses, but we cannot keep making excuses. We must find solutions. Solutions must be found.”
He added: “Today, every barrel that is not sold is a delay in salary or public service, or a loss to the state treasury.”
He continued: “Waiting is not a strategy, waiting is a postponed surrender,” stressing: “We are not asking for the impossible, but rather for crisis management to be treated as an opportunity.”
Al-Zaydi said: “By nature, I like to turn a problem into an opportunity,” noting that there are “great opportunities” before the ministry, and that the official “bears his responsibility.”
He stressed that the government has obligations, and that a large part of these obligations falls on the state and the Ministry of Oil, explaining that most of the Ministry of Finance’s budget is oil revenues.
Al-Zaydi stressed the need to provide solutions and results, saying: “I want solutions and I will not accept hearing excuses, and I want results,” adding: “I want us to see results next week.”
On Monday, Al -Zaydi chaired an expanded meeting of the Ministry of Oil, attended by the Ministers of Finance and Oil, the Director of the Prime Minister’s Office, and the Undersecretaries and Directors General of all departments and formations of the Ministry, to discuss the repercussions of the Strait of Hormuz crisis and the decline in Iraqi oil export rates.
The meeting discussed plans and strategies aimed at ensuring the smooth flow of oil exports, increasing export capacities, and enhancing alternative export outlets. Al-Zaydi directed the rehabilitation and development of oil pipelines and contracting with international companies to market and sell Iraqi oil, as well as ensuring that oil companies operate 24 hours a day to guarantee the sustainability of production and exports and increase their rates.
shafaq.com
